At Random: Aaron Kostyu

Trusting God for the right life

Malynda Fulton

VALDOSTA — There’s so much more to Aaron Kostyu than computers and data management. I realized that after our first meeting.

A few weeks before I went on maternity leave, I had my first conversation with Lowndes County Information Technologies Director Aaron Kostyu after a Lowndes County Board of Commissioners meeting. We began the conversation discussing technology plans for the new judicial complex, but ended the conversation talking about Christ Fellowship Church, where Kostyu serves as a youth minister.

Our pleasant banter encouraged me to interview Kostyu and learn more about him and his family. During our interview, Kostyu expounded on how God has ordered every step in this life. Here is his story.

Born and raised in Gibraltar, Mich., Kostyu completed high school in 1989 and joined the U.S. Air Force, where he worked in explosive-ordinance disposal. He also worked in the networking and technology field while he served.

“I always had an interest in technology and computers,” Kostyu said. “Throughout high school, I would work at places like Radio Shack where I was surrounded by technology on a regular basis. I did sports stuff, too, but I did geek stuff. I was flexible.”

While stationed at Moody Air Force Base in 1993, Kostyu met the former Melissa Plissey, a Valdosta State College student from Maine.

“We began dating and married in 1994,” Kostyu said with a smile. “She was my gift from God to get life back on track. We all need a good godly woman to keep us grounded.”

Kostyu spent two more years in the Air Force and then joined the Reserves for three years.

“I then jumped into a career in the technology field and have been here ever since,” he said.

Kostyu worked at a few companies in North Florida before opening his business, Practical Network Solutions, in 1998.

“I covered most of North Central Florida, including Tallahassee, Gainesville and even Jacksonville,” Kostyu said. “God moved me into that position where I could spend as much time as I wanted to with the church and my family.”

However, when the business began to demand too much of his time, Kostyu decided to do something different.

“Then all the decisions I made were from the Lord and made for my family. When the military started getting out of control, I got out. When the business took me away from my family, I made the decision to get out. My wife and I prayed long and hard about this decision. And when the job in Lowndes County opened up, we knew I’d done the right thing.”

Kostyu was hired as a network engineer for Lowndes County nine years ago. Through that position, Kostyu built and maintained the county’s network.

“Lowndes County was actually one of the earliest in government to install the voice-over IP, which was an emerging technology at the time.”

Kostyu became the director of Information Technologies five years ago. As director, Kostyu oversees seven people in the Information Technologies department, as well at three to five interns from Valdosta Technical College. The department hopes to start an intern program with Valdosta State University in the near future as well. The work ranges from data management and transfer to physical security.

“We have a saying, ‘If it takes a battery or plugs into the wall, it’s our responsibility,’” Kostyu said.

Although he is not an ordained minister, Kostyu is ordained as an elder and serves as a youth minister at Christ Fellowship Church on Connell Road. Kostyu and his family have been members of Christ Fellowship Church for eight years.

“When we first moved here, we commuted to the church we used to attend. Then we began to attend different churches. God eventually led us to Christ Fellowship and we knew that was where the Lord wanted us to be.”

The church is pastored by Ken Webb.

Although he grew up in a Baptist church, Kostyu said that he is interdenominational now.

“I’m a Jesus freak, so I don’t know if I would put a denomination label on my faith. I’m a Christian.”

Kostyu has been ministering to young people since 1998. He likes to apply scriptures from the Bible to situations that teenagers deal with every day.

“Being a teenager is a transitional time for kids and they are establishing their own biblical and moral understanding. So they ask, ‘How does the word of God, written 2,000 years ago, apply to me today?’ So I teach from an application-based standpoint rather than a foundation-based one.”

Kostyu also devotes his time to the Kairos Prison ministry and volunteers at the Pregnancy Support Center.

“I just try to help wherever I’m needed,” he said.

When he’s not at work, church or in the community, Kostyu can be found with his wife and four daughters.

His wife is a middle-grades math and science teacher. Their daughters are Chelsea, 14, Kaleigh, 10, Trinity, 8, and Abagael, 2. The couple just celebrated their 15th anniversary in October.

“I really enjoy being a husband, a dad, and a son-in-law,” Kostyu said.

Both of his parents passed away years ago and he has a brother and sister who still reside in Michigan.

When asked where he sees himself in five years, Kostyu said, “Wherever the Lord will have me be. I hope to go back to school next spring and major in computer-information systems or business. Whatever the case may be, I just trust God to put me in the right position.”

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