Welcome back, weekends!

THIS WEEKEND IS GOING TO BE THE BEST.

Nathan and I are taking a "staycation."  We wanted to have a weekend of fun and relaxation, but we didn't want to leave home because, well, we've been doing that a lot lately.  We're not too sure of everything this weekend will hold, but we know a few things for sure:

1. We ARE going to the pumpkin patch and corn maze.

2. Nathan is MCing an event at Corban tomorrow night called "The Lumberjack Games".  Morgann is watching.

3. We are planning to go watch one of our friends play college basketball in Portland.

4. Our Sunday School class for 5-7 graders starts this Sunday!

If this is all we do, then it will be a success.  And if we don't do any of it, it will be a success.  As long as we get to be together.

In other news, we got to go to our first conference together a couple weeks ago and we took a few pictures.

Exhibit A: We had a paper mache donkey in the classroom we were assigned to.  He was the size of a large goat.  We nicknamed him "Burro."

Exhibit B: There was a really adorable baby at the conference.  So naturally, we ended up holding him.  We call this picture, "Startin' them young."

We have also been able to explore Salem a little bit and we found our new favorite "cheep date night" place.   Yummmy $0.99 tacos.  Yes, please!

Praises:

-STAYCATION

-All volunteer slots are filled for the month of November (!!!)

-We are loving our OC Group at church on Thursday nights.  It's become one of our highlights of our week.

Prayers:

-Rest.  We are both having a hard time sleeping and are running on "e".  Last night Morgann went to bed at 8:30 and slept until 7:30.  A blessing, for sure, but we are hoping that we can space that sleep out a little more!

-Participants.  Pray that our YMI Teams fill up soon!  We are looking good, but we would love to send the maximum amount of students this year as they are trained to share their faith.

-Staff.  Pray that YMI's staff is able to stay healthy during this travel/training season.  When one of us gets sick, it really affects everyone.  We have been blessed by a pretty healthy last few months, so praises for that as well!

3 Goals

Right now, we are in a season of goal setting both at YMI and Nathan and me personally.  Fall is a season of wrapping up summer ministry and launching into winter training.  Lots to do!!  For us, it has been an extra busy fall with the start of our marriage, moving and making adjustments accordingly.  We are grateful for this season of change, but it is so important for us to keep setting goals so as not to get caught up in the "busy". 

So, here are some current goals that we are working toward as an organization, as individuals and as a couple.

1. Sign-ups - As I have mentioned before, we are in recruiting season.  Lots of our time and energy right now is being put toward getting more kids signed up to be trained in sharing their faith.  This involves visiting Awana clubs, homeschool groups and churches.  For Nathan, it means making phone call, after phone call, after phone call to churches to see if they want to do a sports outreach during the summer.

2. People - Morgann is responsible for making sure we have enough people for YMI Team Trainings coming up.  Thankfully, the whole staff helps with this, but lots of time is spent calling people and churches.  We are eager to see how this training season sails once we get going!

3. Support-raising - Nathan and I have the personal goal of being 100% support raised by the end of 2013. Right now, we sit at 87% of our $3,765 that we need each month.  We are praying and acting diligently to see this to completion!  If you happen to be interested in supporting us, email Morgann at morgann@ymimissions.org.

Here are some ways that you can praise God with us!
-The Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon that Morgann planned went very well!  It was a great time of really reflecting on how God is using people to further this ministry.
-YMI has recently welcomed a new Mission Mobilizer down in the Long Beach, CA area.  We are so grateful to have Lis on board with us!  Pray that her transition is smooth.
-Nathan and I are finally plugged into our home church here by serving.  We are teaching the 5-7 grade Sunday School class and are so stoked about it because we know that it is God's will for us.  We are also involved in a small group and tonight (our first night), God is allowing us to open up our home to the group!  He is so good!

Here are some ways that you can pray for us and our ministry with YMI:
-Pray for Morgann as she is half-way through her 6 weekends in a row of traveling.  Pray for safe travels and stamina to see this season through.  Travel is not an easy thing for me and I often get sick by the end of it.  So please pray that my health would hold up.  This weekend (tomorrow morning) she is off to Burbank, CA to present YMI at a conference.  
-Pray for Nathan as he is making phone calls to churches.  Pray that some churches commit to doing a camp!  Pray also as he is recruiting his summer staff - that God would provide the people!!
-Pray for us as we are making our final push for support.  Pray that people's hearts would be open to giving to our salary and that they would see the value in supporting the ministry of YMI.

We love you guys!  Thanks for following what God is doing in our lives  :)

Dear whoever,

From my ever-so-naiive newlywed heart to yours, can I have your attention for just a few short minutes?  First, let me soothe your mind so that you might actually listen.  Yes, I realize that we got married young.  Yes, I am fully aware that we “have the rest of our lives to be married”.  Yes, I know that we have chosen a road less traveled. 

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s chat.

To the woman who I ran into at the store: It really hurt my soul when you reacted with utter disdain when you found out that we decided to get married young.  I saw the look on your face.  I saw the way your posture changed from being engaged to being disgusted.  I saw your arms lose their softness and cross in front of you.  I saw it.  And I didn’t say anything.  Instead I listened.

To the man who I ran into a few afternoons ago: My heart is saddened that you are so sure that our marriage is going to fail.  I grieve the fact that you are so sure that the things we find “cute” now are soon to turn to annoyances that make us grit our teeth.  Maybe you’re right, but why oh why is it necessary to forecast that in our marriage just 8 short weeks in?  These 8 short weeks have been bliss.  And we are so thankful.  And we are looking forward to another 8 weeks.  8 years.  8 decades.

To the couple who couldn’t help but offer advice: Thank you for your kindness.  Thank you for caring about our marriage enough to speak.  I am so glad that waiting 5 years to have kids worked well for you.  I really am.  But I am not convinced that it will “wreck our relationship” if that happens sooner.  My heart was saddened that you see children as such a burden that you must warn us against them.  Children-in God's time, no matter when that is-are a blessing.

To all of you: Marriage is a blessing.  It one of life’s greatest blessings.  It is a time to lean on the Lord for direction, wisdom, counsel and comfort.  It is a time to lean on each other and weather the storms of life together.  It is a time to rejoice together.  It is community like nothing else on this earth.  And we are blessed to get to take part in it at a young age, with Nathan still in school and trusting the Lord for our provision.  We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Can you do me a favor?  Never, ever condemn someone’s marriage before it really ever starts.  Instead, choose to bless it.  Choose to rejoice with others in their joys.  And then, when the tough times come (see, I know they will come), then and ONLY then, grieve and offer wise counsel.  We will gladly accept it.

We are not crazy…or maybe we are…but this is the path God has chosen for us.  And so we will walk in it.  Will you walk with us?  We sure would love the company.

Sincerely,

Mr. & Mrs. Burres

We're not in Kansas anymore!!!

This weekend is the only weekend in the next four weeks that I (Morgann) will be somewhere somewhat familiar!  Having just got back from Little Rock, AR and then preparing to spend the next few weekends in CA, I am looking forward to a visit to our families this weekend.  For the first time in 3 weeks, Nathan and I get to spend the weekend together!  Wahooo!

This weekend is YMI's 1st Annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon and I am so excited for it!  I have been working on this event for a few months now, so it's pretty cool to see it come to completion.

Nathan is busy, busy, busy with school and now jumping into recruiting season for BASE Sports Ministry.  As the Athletic Director for Washington State, he is in charge of recruiting all of the churches for summer sports camps.  Often times, that can be a long process of phone calls, paperwork and agreements, so he has to start nearly a year in advance.  We are excited to see how this year's new format is going to allow YMI to partner with more churches in ministry.  To see more about BASE Sports Ministry, a new division of YMI, click here.

Here is how you can pray with us:
1. Pray that the Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon goes well and that we have a good turn out.
2. Pray for Trisha, John, Garrett and Drew who are all YMI Staff traveling to speak at conferences this weekend.  Pray for safe travels and fruitful recruiting!
3. Pray for our missionaries all over the world - that they would be encouraged in the ministry they are doing and listening to God's leading for direction.

Here is how you can praise God with us:
1. Praise God that Nathan and I are able to spend the weekend together and see our families (!!!)
2. Praise God for our newest opportunity to serve in our home church here in Salem as the long-term Sunday School teachers for 5-7 grade!!
3. Praise God that conference season is almost half over and everyone has had safe travels and solid recruitment.  We are so thankful!

And just because I can...THIS BEAUTY was centered directly in front of our apartment on Wednesday!!!  One of our friends, Cassie Forster took the picture :)

2 BIG things!

1. YMI just announced the launch of BASE Sports Ministry!!!  This is the division of YMI that will be fully dedicated to training students to share the Gospel through sports!  Visit BASE's webpage at basesports.org

2. PLEASE PRAY for YMI's staff this weekend.  We are spread out all over the nation at different Awana conferences speaking about YMI and challenging Awana leaders to encourage their students to share their faith through training and missions.  Currently, I am in Little Rock, Arkasas getting ready to head out to the conference for the day.  Pray that we get students and churches to sign up for trainings and trips this ministry year.

Thank you for your prayers!  They are much appreciated.  And God always hears us when we pray.  What an encouragement!!!

TOMORROW...

Right now, YMI is entering into "conference season", which essentially means that everyone on staff is traveling on weekends for the next couple months.  Morgann will be traveling for work every single weekend between now and October 20.  Nathan gets a little more of a break in travel due to his school schedule, praise God!   

Fall and Winter seasons are times for recruiting and training.  Morgann is focusing on recruiting kids for trips in 2014 and making sure that volunteers are all lined up for training camps taking place in 2013.  Nathan is focused on recruiting churches for sports camps next summer.  This is a really fun season of seeing our hard work pay off as the numbers of kids and churches committed to ministry next year is rising.

But the BIG thing right now is that YMI is getting ready to reveal our biggest announcement EVER.  TOMORROW, stay tuned for a REALLY exciting announcement from YMI.  Mark your calendars:

We. Are. Stoked.

Welcome!

Hi friends and family (mostly family, I'm guessing).  We [read: Morgann] have started a blog for YOU!  With us being down in Salem and you being up in ___________, Facebook is great and everything, but we figured that you might want more than an occasional post about YMI Teams.  :)

So, we have created this space so that you can stay updated on what is going on in our life together.  We will strive to post pictures, new adventures, funny stories and do our best to include you in our life while we are making a life of our own.  

It's a weird season to be in.  It's weird because we are so sure that this is the Lord's will for us - and naturally for you too.  But it's weird to go from living at home, attending church together and planning a wedding to just moving and learning to establish our roots on our own.  

It is good.

It is very good.

So here, we find ourselves in Salem, loving being married.  It is the best thing.  I (Morgann) have dreamed about being a wife since the time I was little.  It has always been my dream.  And now I know why.  This is the best season of life so far.  I absolutely love being a wife to my incredible husband.  

So, here's to new adventures as a married couple!  Here's to funny stories, challenges from God's Word, and pictures that speak 1,000 words that I don't have time to write down.  Here's to a new season of life where grace reigns, people matter and God leads.  Here's to being together, to being family.  

Welcome aboard.  We are so glad to have you on this journey with us.

Love, 

N + M