Aubrey's Testimony
I was born and raised in Pembroke, a small town and rural farming community in southeastern North Carolina. My parents raised my 3 siblings and I on a small family farm outside of Pembroke. My father was a professional educator while my mother took care of things in our home. She would later complete her education and served as a nurse in our regional hospital and the school nurse with the county public schools. The Swett family is well known and respected in the local community were I was raised. Our family attended church regularly at Harper Ferry Baptist Church and they were very involved and supportive of our home church.
I grew to become a light-hearted and humorous kind of fella'. Nothing really spectacular. Just tried to get along with other people and stay out of trouble. I played some different sports throughout high school. Tall, skinny and light on my feet, I tried my hand at football, but it just didn't seem to fit with me very well. Basketball came much easier and later running long distance track seemed to fit with me pretty well. My high school days were a lot fun. Making friends came pretty easy, but I can't say the same for the grades. I didn't take the books too seriously and it showed. Just an average student, who could do well when I applied myself. I always imagined that I would go to college after high school but I didn't quite get there. But no one was alarmed because Aubrey was a good kinda fella'.
I left home in 1978 to join the United States Marine Corps. I went to boot camp at Parris Island, SC. This was my first wake-up call in life. What in the world had I gotten myself in to? I wouldn't let myself quit and I did my best at whatever I was told. I made it through basic and graduated near the bottom for my tech-school. My first assignment was in Okinawa, Japan. That was a long way from home. Somehow I adjusted to the structure and actually became excited for the "sense of belonging" to something greater than myself. It seemed to work well for me. After Japan, I got an assignment stationed in southern California at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. I was young, single and ambitious. I only lived only 20 minutes from Anaheim and about an hour from LA. Lots to do in southern California, so I bounced and drifted until I finished my first enlistment. There was nothing really to show for my time in the Corps and no real plans for the future, so I re-enlisted and headed east.
While stationed near home on the east coast, I made an awful lot of visits back home to Pembroke. Big distraction until I found myself married and finally settled down. My marriage was good and I had some good times together with my wife. We cared for one another and I knew she would always have my back. We both knew we wanted more. She wanted kids. I wanted toys. After about 5 years of collecting toys, we had our first daughter. Not long after Chrissy came our second daughter Jory. The girls were a world of joy and happiness, but something inside me wasn't satisfied. I was well into my career in the Marines and now well past my 31st birthday. Reality seemed to be knocking at my life's door and I had no answer for it.
In 1992, I surrendered my life to Christ while serving in the Marines. Compared to my wedding day and the births of my 2 daughters, I had never been filled with so much joy. Jesus Christ was the real deal for me that day. He has only become more Wonderful since that time. I truly became alive at that moment. One of the first things my friend Tim told me I had to do was get a bible for myself. I bought a bible and began to read. The more I read, the more I seemed to hunger and thirst for God's word. His word took hold of my life and it changed me. God used time spent in my bible and accountability through my friend Tim to grow me as I never thought. I began to love my wife and children like never before. Soon God began to use me in ways I could never imaged. In 1996, I accepted His call to ministry. I surrendered myself to the mentorship and leadership of my local pastor at Grossmont Baptist Church in La Mesa, California. I later served under 2 other pastors before stepping out in ministerial leadership and evangelism. In 2006, I accepted my first pastorate at Shannon Missionary Baptist Church in Shannon, NC. Later in 2011, I accepted and entered into my 2nd pastorate at Carolina Baptist Church in St. Pauls, NC. God has wonderfully blessed and faithfully used me in His kingdom work to have labored in youth, student and family ministries.
I grew to become a light-hearted and humorous kind of fella'. Nothing really spectacular. Just tried to get along with other people and stay out of trouble. I played some different sports throughout high school. Tall, skinny and light on my feet, I tried my hand at football, but it just didn't seem to fit with me very well. Basketball came much easier and later running long distance track seemed to fit with me pretty well. My high school days were a lot fun. Making friends came pretty easy, but I can't say the same for the grades. I didn't take the books too seriously and it showed. Just an average student, who could do well when I applied myself. I always imagined that I would go to college after high school but I didn't quite get there. But no one was alarmed because Aubrey was a good kinda fella'.
I left home in 1978 to join the United States Marine Corps. I went to boot camp at Parris Island, SC. This was my first wake-up call in life. What in the world had I gotten myself in to? I wouldn't let myself quit and I did my best at whatever I was told. I made it through basic and graduated near the bottom for my tech-school. My first assignment was in Okinawa, Japan. That was a long way from home. Somehow I adjusted to the structure and actually became excited for the "sense of belonging" to something greater than myself. It seemed to work well for me. After Japan, I got an assignment stationed in southern California at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. I was young, single and ambitious. I only lived only 20 minutes from Anaheim and about an hour from LA. Lots to do in southern California, so I bounced and drifted until I finished my first enlistment. There was nothing really to show for my time in the Corps and no real plans for the future, so I re-enlisted and headed east.
While stationed near home on the east coast, I made an awful lot of visits back home to Pembroke. Big distraction until I found myself married and finally settled down. My marriage was good and I had some good times together with my wife. We cared for one another and I knew she would always have my back. We both knew we wanted more. She wanted kids. I wanted toys. After about 5 years of collecting toys, we had our first daughter. Not long after Chrissy came our second daughter Jory. The girls were a world of joy and happiness, but something inside me wasn't satisfied. I was well into my career in the Marines and now well past my 31st birthday. Reality seemed to be knocking at my life's door and I had no answer for it.
In 1992, I surrendered my life to Christ while serving in the Marines. Compared to my wedding day and the births of my 2 daughters, I had never been filled with so much joy. Jesus Christ was the real deal for me that day. He has only become more Wonderful since that time. I truly became alive at that moment. One of the first things my friend Tim told me I had to do was get a bible for myself. I bought a bible and began to read. The more I read, the more I seemed to hunger and thirst for God's word. His word took hold of my life and it changed me. God used time spent in my bible and accountability through my friend Tim to grow me as I never thought. I began to love my wife and children like never before. Soon God began to use me in ways I could never imaged. In 1996, I accepted His call to ministry. I surrendered myself to the mentorship and leadership of my local pastor at Grossmont Baptist Church in La Mesa, California. I later served under 2 other pastors before stepping out in ministerial leadership and evangelism. In 2006, I accepted my first pastorate at Shannon Missionary Baptist Church in Shannon, NC. Later in 2011, I accepted and entered into my 2nd pastorate at Carolina Baptist Church in St. Pauls, NC. God has wonderfully blessed and faithfully used me in His kingdom work to have labored in youth, student and family ministries.