Huber Personal Top 10 for 2019

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Top 10 for the Hubers in 2019

10. Janna entered marching band at Mead HS with a knee scooter for her broken foot from an accident while square dancing at Malibu. We weren't how it was going to worjk out. She learned extremely complicated choreography and clarinet parts quickly, her band made top 3 at multiple contests and at the end of the season, she was voted most inspirational!

9. Dietrich and a pack of friends going to North Spokane Wyldlife with Jeff as a leader, and Tanya leading Mead YL with Janna and a growing crew of sophomore girls. This has assuredly been a highlight and has promise to continue so for 2020, including both going to summer camp.

8. Spring Break: We surprised the kids with a day at Universal Studios, we enjoyed SoCal and our annual mecca in Rosarito Beach and we snapped ample pics in the Tulip fields of LaConner.

7. Dietrich’s times with friends: His bday: Virtual reality, trampoline jumping, playing Risk, watching Avengers End Game and hatchet throwing with friends felt like big wins for Dietrich. Seeing him come alive with friends is a win we do not take for granted!a

6. Our two family weeks in the summer at Suncadia (Roslyn) and Black Butte with friends. Times with other friends with kids' friends tends to be among the sweetest times for them and us. When kids all hang out, the adult's enjoyment skyrockets too. During these weeks, big prayers were prayed, many books were read, miles of running and biking were logged and big topics were journaled.

5. Finding something all four of us enjoy doing together is elusive. Jeff and Tanya's collaborative goal was to have 30 family adventures were we all doing the same activity.

4. Sushi together! Who would have thought we would come to Spokane to begin to appreciate sushi? Eating sushi has become one of the activities all four of us enjoy and nerd out with. Seems hardly fitting that sushi would have emerged as the #1 'adventurous' activity, but that is how we 'roll' I guess!

3. Serving at Malibu. Tanya slayed it as camp director. Janna and Dietrich enjoyed an incredible group of teenage kids who were with us for the month too. Jeff lavished being spouse/Tanyas support and focusing on relationships and sweet times with God.

2. It was our most connected year as a couple this year. We started off in Kauai and set goals together for the year. Some we nailed, like to work out every Monday morn and do a 'check in' during it. Some not so much, like going on 25 evening dates (fell short,) stand up paddle board 15 times (only 8.) But adding to the weekly rhythms we've been forming helped and will be built upon even more for 2020.

1. The 100th Apple Blossom, where Tanya was celebrated as a past royalty, waving in the parade from the convertible and fun social engagements with dear friends and families. I never dreamed I would be someone's arm candy...but Tanya was the celebrity so I did my best supporting role I could do while she shined.

Jeffs Young Life Regional Top Ten of 2019

This is my top ten list of Young Life highlights that hang with my soul months later as I reflect back on a year of God's faithfulness. If you want my bottom ten, it'll cost you a beer, but I'll fess up!

10. Brewster and Bill! Our regional YL staff teammate, Bill Dooley, has been consistently meeting, praying with and supporting the efforts of a group of adults in Brewster, WA on the Columbia River. The past few months, after lots of meeting but little dynamic stirring, the adults started pulling kids together and something big is sparking that is leading to Young Life starting there, and a committee chair came forward, an essential part to ensure hundreds of kids here will be known, prayed for and introduced to Jesus.


9. "No way Jose'" kids. Tanya and other leaders and I used to have a 3 columned list of kids we prayed to come to camp. The 3 columns were: Surely Shirley. Maybe Baby and No Way Jose'.  YL is positioned to encourage the latter two columns of kids to come. Two no way Jose' kids came to Malibu with TJ from Leavenworth HS. Both proclaimed they were 'Athiest' and pushed back on everything at camp from club, to cabin time to quiet times. Yet by the end of the week, it was a combination of those three, along with the way their leader, TJ, reflected the love of Jesus, they both stood up at Say-So starting a new relationship with God!

8. Power Women! This year, strong women were given opportunities to step up and they thrived. Two of our staff, CJ and Tanya, served as month-long camp directors for WFR and Malibu. Both slayed it. Three of our largest financial gifts (10K) were written by women. Our new regional admin, Amber Bonetti, is a butt-kicker, as is YoungLives coordinator Cassie Coats, fiercely creating new possibilities for YLVS coordinators across the region. New hires, Stephanie Bugas, (Walla Walla) Kate McGinnis (Missoula) and Tanita Maddox (ARD) top the list of new-to-us-power-women. Many committee chairs making the biggest waves are dynamic women. The list goes on...and women rose strong in 2019!

7. Muslim family, alive in Christ. I cannot say their names, for safety, but a family of kids in Spokane both experienced the power and deep love of God this summer. One met Christ 2 summers ago at Malibu and prayed her little brother would later come and experience the same. He did, and now both know Jesus and their lives will never be the same (see an earlier blog entry for more.)

6. "I'm still standing." Been a tough year, but staff are still standing! This year a few staff whom I love had tough sledding. Financially, emotionally, feeling alone, etc. Three are dear to me. For me to be in leadership and see them struggle and suffer on a heart level, I ached with them. As the year has progressed, seeing God's people rise up alongside them and to see the Spirit carry them through...it is a highlight. Although if I had a magic wand, I would gladly do away with the pain.

5. Hey Jeffrey! Our staff person, Jeffrey Chambers, who's past life has been filled with pain and poverty, has thrived while serving in Tri-Cities area, alongside Steve Vollmer. This summer he was asked to speak at WFR-Creekside. He had typical first week jitters, yet the last two weeks he served wonderfully and will speak again this summer. ALSO, he applied to be the next lead area director for Tri_Cities, after years of believing he's only a second-in-change kind of guy, he was just chosen to be hired as the #1 guy. His tears of joy!

4. Year of the matching gift.  I haven't participated in a 'matching gift' campaign for a few years. But this year...took the all-time cake, for me.  We reached a 45K campaign in September.  And at our 'Art and Wine' Auction in April, we had a 10K match. Both put us in reach of hiring an associate regional director for the Inland NW region. Big time response by our supporters; impact ahead! AND...we were JUST offered ANOTHER 25K match for this year end, by December 31st.

3. Our regional vision has been for our leaders to build relationships with 35,000 kids a year.  The highest we got to was 27,500 and we have stalled.  In October, Inland NW region merged with Montana/North Wyoming and wouldn't you know it...their leaders' total relationships with kids joined with ours and we subsequently reached our 35,000 'kids known by name and prayed for' goal! Time for a NEW GOAL for 2020-2025.

2. YoungLives. Last Sept I shared that it was my worst month ever on YL staff. YLVS in Spokane came unraveled and I stepped in to make tough calls. Since then it has been pulled together. Its in a drastically new season of flourishing. Building upon legendary work of Shauna, Linda and co had established, YLVS has truly begun reaching new heights through the leadership of Melissa, Niki (and Cassie) in partnership with their supportive areas. '19 saw incredible impact in the lives of teen moms across Spokane.
1. Our region hired two Associate Regional Directors: Tanita Maddox and Jim Stuck. After almost two years of deliberating, we made the decision as a board, inspired by those who gave generously. This new direction is God’s way of answering our prayer for growing deeper in faith, reaching more kids and experiencing greater health among our staff. So...giddy up, 2020+!

Part B to #1 is the addition of Senior Associate RD, Keith Dow. He leads Montana/N Wyoming areas and is already among my most synergistic teammates I have ever served alongside. He is wildly gifted and will bring tremendous blessing to the whole Mountain West Region and to me.