Fa La La La La

Thank you, friends, for your love and support these past few months and for all the gifts this Christmas! We meant to write this post on Christmas Day, but as things often go, we got too busy stuffing our bellies with delicious food.

Here it is, though, a simple thank-you for the gifts we were able to give and receive this Christmas.

Britney got a new scarf, some new tights, and a couple new dresses for Christmas. Caleb got a few books; among them were Phantases, The Iliad, and Brave New World. Along with those gifts, we received several Amazon gift cards that we were excited to put to good use.

On Christmas Day we were blessed to be invited over to our Pastor's home for an early dinner and we spent a great part of the day there, eating and laughing and celebrating the birth of Christ.

We felt extremely loved at Christmas - thank you for your gifts and prayers.

ps: we are starting some "Dossett Family Christmas Traditions." One of them is making peanut-butter balls (or Buckeyes as some may call them), which is something Caleb's mom does for his family!

Let's Take a Break

"And yet, term after term, the unbelievable happened. Fantastical and astronomical figures like 'this time in six weeks' shrank into practicable figures like 'this time next week,' and then 'this time tomorrow,' and the almost supernatural bliss of the Last Day punctually appeared."

Thursday was hardly educational. It was, after all, the Last Day that C.S. Lewis describes and throughout the school all the creatures were stirring, down to the very last mouse. Even we teachers could barely contain our excitement as we waited for that final bell.

Hopefully that doesn't come as a surprise to too many readers: yes, it's true that teachers enjoy Christmas break as well and we, the Dossetts, are not any different. We're crazy excited about getting the chance to sleep in and relax at home. We plan on watching movies and eating Christmas peanut butter balls. Also, we've got plans to check out every district in Vienna and find unique historical sites / cafes / etc. in each one. Even more exciting, one of Caleb's closest friends, Marjun, is in town and we are going to have the chance to hang out with him a lot! Christmas Eve is going to be romantic and peaceful - we're all praying for snow of course.

As you can see, we won't be bored over break and yet, we feel a little hesitant about jumping into these next few weeks without asking for prayer first. You see, it's amazing to reconnect with old friends - but nostalgia comes with that experience and with the nostalgia, the floodgates open and all sorts of emotions spill over. After all, it is Christmas . . .

We miss our parents and grandparents and brothers and best friends and cousins and aunts and uncles and Oakley (Caleb's family's puppy). That's undeniable and Tuesday is looming - who even knows what Wednesday morning will bring as far as emotions go.

And still . . . there's something nagging at the back of our minds. I think it's hope; it's confidence in the hope that God offers his children. 

Caleb & Marjun in Middle School

        

Caleb & Marjun now

Confidence that if a friendship in the Spirit can last as long as this one and be as fruitful despite the lengthy intermissions, then it will be the same with the others that we give to God. He's blessed us with this opportunity to serve and time will end up being of very little consequence. The Last Day always comes, no matter how distant it may seem at the beginning. In the meantime, the Present Days are indisputably vital - the Christian life is one of serving in the Now.

So, even though we would like prayer for Peace and Joy this Christmas, we would like to rejoice with you all in God's goodness and majesty. Look at all these kiddos. We've been serving them for only a little while and already it's been so fruitful.

2nd Grade

4th Grade

Caleb's ELL Class

5th Grade

3rd Grade

Primary

1st Grade

Look out for another post on Christmas day! We love you all and are so thankful for you.

Peace,
Caleb & Britney

How We Learn How We Yearn

Hello Friends!

We are sincerely sorry for this long break between posts! We don't even know . . .

Anyway, thanks for checking back in with us. Lots has happened in the two-ish weeks since we last posted and we'll try our best to cram it all in, right now.

First, check out a blog kept up regularly by our dear friends, Andie and Garrett Rea. They recently posted on what they've learned as twenty-somethings. Through that, they inspired us to share a couple things that we've learned since being here in Vienna:

• Receive humbly. Since becoming missionaries, we have been given so, so much by so many. It's been a huge learning and re-learning experience; like most people, we've got a sense of independency that borders on idolatry of self. Okay, it doesn't even border, it dwells there. Receiving so much love from others has been humbling and it's taught us that we should simply receive with joyful and grateful hearts. 
• Give lavishly. The second step is to give in response to how we've been given. Others have loved us entirely more than we could have expected. God has loved us more than we could ever deserve. Let us give.

So, that's what we've learned. Let us know what any of you have learned as twenty-somethings, thirty-somethings, sixty-somethings . . .

Along with learning, we've also been laughing. Christmas is GORGEOUS HERE!! See evidence below.

We've been roaming the streets, staring at the lights, and collecting Christmas trinkets. We've attended a Before After-Christmas-Party Party and we've hosted our very own Christmas Party for the 10th grade class. This was such a blessing, to get to have the students over and show them love. It's exactly how we prayed God would use us. Please pray for more opportunities to serve the students in our home.

Besides learning and laughing, we've been listening. The Holy Spirit has been speaking to us and guiding us. He has prompted us to take part in a mission's trip to Romania this coming Spring. The school does this trip every year; over a dozen students, typically, go along with chaperones (us) to serve in Romania. We are really excited and planning is in the works! Also, Caleb has been asked to step in as the full-time worship leader at church for the next six months! The current leader and his family are heading back home to the States for that time and Caleb is going to be serving in that capacity until they get back. For both ministries we ask for tons of prayer! 

Finally, we also ask for prayer for joy and peace this Christmas. We're really excited to spend it together and lots of surprises are in store . . . but we still miss home and family. Please be praying for us this season. We are praying for you, dear friends, that you will also experience the joy that is God come down as one of us, to redeem us.

Hallelujah!

Caleb & Britney

It is Good and Right to Give Thanks

Greetings Friends!

We hope all of you are enjoying this beautiful holiday season! We are looking forward to Thanksgiving, as we are sure all of you are as well, and preparing ourselves for waaaay too much food. 

At the same time, we can't help but look ahead even further to Christmas! Part of that is because both of us have agreed that we start looking forward to every Christmas, every year in January, but another big reason is because Thanksgiving isn't celebrated in Austria, so all of the decorations throughout the city are for Christmas.

Not that we are complaining - they are stunning!

Still, before we get ahead of ourselves and start buying out the nearest grocery store of all its candy canes, we do want to take part in the greatest tradition of Thanksgiving: giving thanks. We are overwhelmed by all of the blessings God has showered us with recently. 

We are so thankful for this fantastic, warm, cozy apartment.

We are thankful for the Spirit's guidance in terms of which areas of ministry to get involved in. We are thankful for how he is using us to advance the kingdom.

We are thankful for Skype and the power it has to keep us connected to friends and family back home.

We are thankful for new friends at the school who encourage us.

We are thankful for Milka chocolate.

And, we are incredibly thankful for you, dear friends. We are thankful for those of you who are praying for us, for those who have sent us letters and cards. They are huge sources of encouragement. 

We are thankful to those of you who are supporting us financially - without you, we would not be here. God is using you mightily. In the past few months, we have been humbled so much and it's been a great feeling! Know that your gifts are carrying us in ministry here and they allow us to continue serving God through education; also, now as we begin serving in our home church here, New City Wien, we are only able to continue to serve in child-care and music through the gifts you give.

Again, thank you.

We hope that you all have a very happy Thanksgiving this week! 

Peace,
Caleb & Britney

Let's Cry

Crying can be a pretty terrible thing.

Yesterday was a half day because the school opened up for Parent / Teacher Conferences after noon. I didn't have that many conferences scheduled, so I planned to relax a bit, work in a conference or two, and then go home. I wasn't really sure what to expect, or how long any of the conferences would take. One of the conferences lasted quite a bit longer than estimated.

And I'm really thankful for that.

The student's mother and I had been in communication for a few days prior because her son has improved phenomenally in his English skills and we believe he may be ready to move up to the next level of the ELL program. Naturally, this was bound to be an encouraging meeting, but I didn't realize how much so.

We discussed his academic ability, what responsibilities would be expected of him when he moves up, how the level of homework would change. We talked about his commitment to learning, if he would be disappointed if class turned out to be harder than expected. Business as usual.

Then, we started talking about her son's refueled interest in Scripture and God. She shared about his melancholy and disinterest when he went to a different school for the past three years - not only in relation to spirituality, but in relation to academics as well. He had been told that he was lazy and incapable of learning (this kid is anything but that!!) and his friends were unhealthy to say the least. She smiled and said how happy she was.

And she started to cry.

Crying can be a pretty terrible thing . . . but it can also be something else: it can be God cleansing the fear for a child from a mother's heart.

It's a humbling experience and beautiful blessing to be a part of this school; our Father is changing lives here for the kingdom. Amen.

The Importance of Forgiveness

In an earlier post, Caleb told a story about his pet bird Zebra and the mystery that surrounds us all. When we lose a loved one, whether from a long-known illness or sudden accident, we often wonder what God's purpose is in taking that person from us. 

Tomorrow will mark two years since my mom died. As I think about how her death has affected me, I am deeply convicted. It is hard for me to think about good memories I have with my mom. I can think of several fights, both physical and verbal. I remember not wanting to go to her house on Christmas Eve. I remember yelling at her and treating her with no respect. However, when my mom was suddenly taken from me I had a deep desire to have her back. When my mom died I was still angry at her. I had not forgiven her. I had not truly loved her. Since her death, I have been able to forgive her. I love her more now than I ever have. 

Here's where the conviction comes in: 

Why did my mom have to die to receive my forgiveness? Yes, there are many things my mom did that she should not have. But I sin daily and hurt others often. Why is it that I expect others to forgive me so quickly if I couldn't offer the same forgiveness to my mom? Why is it that I expect GOD to forgive me so often? 

Through my mom's death, God has worked in my heart. I now see the importance of forgiveness in a whole new way. I want to make a conscious effort to forgive and love. God forgives me even though I never deserve it. He has given us the power to show that same forgiveness to those around us. So let's take advantage of that power, and pour love on others. 

Some good memories:

- Taking my mom shopping before my high school graduation. She wanted to look really nice, so she asked Maddy and me to take her to get a new outfit. I will never forget how excited she was. 

- After getting engaged my mom immediately told me that she didn't have the money to pay for the wedding. However, she did promise to buy my wedding dress. She died less than 2 weeks after our engagement, but my dress was still bought with money from my mom. 

- Her telling Caleb to call her mom, even though he was only my boyfriend. Because she knew he would be her son one day. 

I am so thankful for these memories, and the others I hold in my heart. Forgiveness is beautiful. 

"We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19

Angela "Angel" Benson 

1970-2011

When the Going Gets Stuck

Let's begin this one with Scripture:

Romans 13:1-7 "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established . . ."

Caleb was sitting on the bed in our room, having just spent the evening praying, searching the Internet for bus tickets, praying, staring, searching, praying again. Britney was in bed in a hostel in Eastern Europe, feeling conflicted and even a little guilty. Two evenings earlier, Britney got invited to go to Budapest, Hungary (see pictures below!) on the spur of the moment and we decided it would be a great opportunity for her. It was a cheap trip and a beautiful one - who could pass that combo up???

Then, the next morning Caleb got a call that we needed to leave the country due to Visa complications. So, here we were, already in two different countries, trying to communicate back and forth about how we were going to work this out. Hence the guilt, praying, searching, and staring mentioned earlier. 

Of course, it wasn't just that we were in different countries, with little money, and no idea how work the Blaguss website; we had also been planning on going on a church retreat this week (spoiler: see pictures below!!) so we were really disappointed. This was supposed to be a chance for us to grow in relationships with our church family here . . . a chance to relax.

Those were the thoughts, the worries, that were running through Caleb's head as he trudged into the bedroom and flopped on the bed. Please God, give me something.

And God answered. As he always is, God was listening - he was present. Caleb felt the Spirit nudge the word "Romans" past the worries in his troubled mind. He opened his Bible and his eyes fell on the verses provided earlier.

And the peace that passes all understanding enveloped the room. Something that we posted about earlier and have been thinking about as a family here in Vienna is the wonderful experience that is depending on God in spite of the mystery, the unknown. This moment was just another chance for us to do that: trust God. He says that we should obey the authorities; he says he takes care of us. Boom. Problem solved (okay, so there's still some nervousness, but we are choosing to have faith).

Caleb had Skyped with his parents who confirmed what he was hearing from Scripture. He called Britney and we decided to let things be. We decided to trust God and see what the morning would bring. So, Caleb didn't buy any tickets, Britney stayed in Budapest, and everybody went to sleep.

Caleb woke up to a text saying that we got our Visas and we could pick them up next week.

God is so good! He provides for his children miraculously - he offers comfort when things don't seem to be working out.

So, when things are hard, we call out to God and when he opens doors that we never could have budged, we shout praises.

We were able to go on the retreat - we just got back about three hours ago - and spend a revitalizing, refreshing few days in community with the family of God that we have been placed in. We were blessed with time to grow in friendships and worship God together. We got out of the city and witnessed the handiwork of God that is beyond comprehension. 

Here are some pictures of Britney's trip to Budapest and our church retreat to Bad Goisern, Austria. We joyfully ask that you would celebrate our Father's goodness with us as you look at these and we humbly ask that you would pray for us as we approach the next step in the Visa process: picking them up. Things aren't set in stone and we would love prayer, but we know that God is working all things to the good.

The baths that Britney went to in Budapest, Hungary

Budapest, Hungary

Hallstatt, Austria with our church family

The beautiful view of Bad Goisern, Austria (where we stayed on the church retreat)

Hallstatt, Austria

Everyone at the church retreat

Please also be praying that we would be responsible and intentional in support raising - we are so thankful for your prayers and your financial support. We praise God for you!

Peace,
Caleb & Britney

An Affinity for Mystery

Zebra was my family’s pet bird for about a decade. He was a parakeet and we named him Zebra because of his shocking black streaks against a pure white background of feathers. The blue bump above his beak indicated his gender, but for the longest time we couldn’t figure out if it signified “female” or “male.” I don’t know if my parents were as confused about it as I was, but I remember being baffled for months. I’m still not completely satisfied that I know he was a boy.

In fact, there were a lot of things I didn’t understand about that bird:

Why does he always fly in three perfect circles around the living room? Why does he always, always land on our heads, when our shoulders are just as comfortable for perching? Why doesn’t he ever fly into the hallway?

Why can’t he learn that we don’t want bird poop in our hair?

I found myself asking those questions and others as I grew up with Zebra – especially in the early years. He was interesting and different. Eventually, however, he became a fixture in our home and I stopped noticing the mystery.

I was reminded of it just a few days ago when the friends who adopted Zebra when we left Austria called me into their office down the hall. They had some pictures of him that they wanted to share. They shared stories with me about their time with him, mostly funny, and reminded me of the intelligence and personality that he really had.

They also shared with me the story of the day Zebra died.

It was a week day and they were getting ready to go to work. Zebra had been sick for a while, coughing, and they knew that he wasn’t going to live much longer. So, when he refused to stay in the living room and kept flying into the bathroom with them, they knew something was up. Instead of taking him back into the living room the last time, the husband let Zebra land in his hand. Zebra settled in the palm of the man’s hand and looked up at him, into his eyes.

A second passed and nobody made a sound.

Gently, Zebra shuffled around to lie down. He kept his eyes on the man’s eyes. Then, he died.

Why did Zebra do that?

It was a few days ago that they shared that story with me and I’ve been asking that question since. I think I have an answer, but it simply opens up more questions, so I’ve been dancing around it . . . Zebra didn’t want to die alone. He wanted to be with somebody . . .

Like I said, this opens up more questions than I have time to think about, let alone answer. Yet, it also takes the lid off a piece of me that I put in a jar sometimes, that I let idle. It’s okay to be okay with mystery. This story of a bird dying in the palm of a man’s hand evokes mystery and that very feeling is good. This idea has been a source of comfort to me over the past few days: mystery is good.

I think about that truth when I think about finances. I rest in the mystery when I watch the minutes fly by as I try to prepare solid lessons.

Shh . . . it’s okay to not be in control. When direction seems enveloped in mystery and I just don’t know, then it’s the perfect time to be still. God gave us all an affinity for mystery in certain circumstances, perhaps to help us not be so scared of it. He recognizes that we enjoy mystery as long as there’s not too much risk involved. Like a good father, he recognizes that and wants to teach us trust. Faith. Mystery offers me the opportunity to depend on God and, really, I should look forward to that because, after all, that’s not much of a risk.

A Few Updates and the Downlow

Things are going great for us here in Vienna! It's hard to think of ways to update everyone, but we have a few things to share. We have been very busy with school, church, soccer (for Caleb), bible studies, and just everyday life. 

Today the Korean Ambassador came to visit our school! The 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders welcomed him by singing Jesus Loves Me in Korean. 

(Thanks to T.S. for the picture!)

Britney really wants to learn German, but classes are quite expensive. One day she was working in the Elementary German room, and she decided to stay and listen. The teacher said she could come everyday, so Britney has been going to beginner German classes with 2nd and 3rd graders. It may seem silly to be in an elementary German class, but she really loves it. Right now she learns about 4 words a day. Within the next week or so she will start with sentences. 

Here are some words she has learned (all from memory, no cheating!) 

Messer - knife
Saft - juice
Salz - salt
Salbe - ointment 
Arm - arm 
Ameise - ant 
Sessel - chair
Sonne - sun
Sommer - summer
Ananas - pineapple
Engel - angel
Eltern - parents

All of the 2nd and 3rd graders love having Britney in their class. They always want to be her partner and yesterday a cute little 2nd grade boy told her "You are sooo smart!" 

Britney has also been working in the classrooms more. She has a set schedule everyday in which she goes to different classes to help teachers. Sometimes she works one on one with students to help them with math, writing, or another subject. It has been really great for her to work with the kids more. 

Here are some cute pictures from Britney's recess duty: 

Caleb is having a great time coaching JV soccer for high school. This Saturday they have a tournament in Budapest! He has also been asked to lead worship at our church this Sunday, which he would like prayer for. 

We are still waiting for our visas, so please pray that we will get them soon. 

Please continue to pray for financial support to come in. 

Thank you for your prayers and support.

Peace,
Caleb & Britney

Finding a Church

God's grace is truly amazing. It has been incredible for both of us to see God working in our lives. We see him in so many new ways. He is constantly showing us that he has us right where he wants us. 

It has been really important to us to find a church here in Vienna. In Greenville we found a church that we loved. We looked forward to worshipping there every week. The sense of community was so powerful. This made us have pretty high expectations for our Vienna church, but as always, God didn't disappoint. For the first month or so we were attending two churches every Sunday because we really loved both of them. However, we felt like in order to really get involved and become part of the community, we needed to pick one church (but we still plan on visiting the other church every now and then). 

Our new church is called New City Wien. It is a small church that was started by missionaries about 6 years ago. The service is in English and German, which is a pretty cool experience, especially for Britney. Caleb has been able to help lead worship there for the past few weeks, which has been a great blessing to him. We love the people at this church. Every week after the service we come together to share a meal, and it is wonderful. We are so thankful for this place that we can go to worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

This past weekend our church went to an Apfelhof to pick apples and have a picnic. It was a great time getting to know our church community better, and the weather was beautiful! Below are some pictures of the day (we were babysitting for some friends that day so their daughter Kailyn is in a lot of the pictures). 

Thank you for your continued prayer and support. It does not go unrecognized! 

Peace, 
Caleb & Britney

Going on the hayride!

Picking potatoes to eat for lunch

Making fresh apple cider (so delicious!!)

Delicious apples!