He's in the Everyday Things

Yesterday, we were blessed with a glimpse of Christ in our everyday; an act of total provision from our Father. It's things like this that we look forward to in Vienna:

Caleb wears glasses, so he left the house early in the morning to go to the eye doctor. Of course, the morning was full of everyday doctor's appointment things, like waiting, drinking coffee, waiting, and watching Andy Griffith. Who would have ever guessed that he would witness God's grace on a Monday morning!

After sharing with a couple paraoptometrics (yeah that's a word!) about our future in Vienna and spending some time dodging eye drops, he eventually made it out to the "glasses" station. Where they sell the glasses.

And here's where it gets good.

Caleb came to find out that both of his eyes had worsened (not so good) and that the cheapest option for a new pair of corrective lenses was $140 (not good either). He called up Britney to see how she felt, since at this time in our lives that is a fairly lofty price to pay, and as he was calling, the lady helping him (we'll call her Barb) got his attention and whispered, "You're a pastor right?"

"No," Caleb whispered back, "but we are going as missionaries."

"Ok, I can get these for you for $115."

Caleb smiled and thanked Barb, thinking that that was pretty cool; it was nice to shave off 30 bucks here and there. He and Britney decided to get the glasses and walked back up to the front counter, where Barb introduced Susan (not her real name) whose father is an Austrian . . . and she speaks German!

And that's how God works: through relationships and connections . . . everyday things!

So, here Caleb was, speaking German with what turned out to be a South African woman with an Austrian father, right here in Bloomington-Normal. After a great, encouraging conversation about Vienna and our future there (she was so excited for us and JUST met Caleb!) Barb came back over.

Barb: "Alright, so when I come to Vienna on vacation you're going to hook me up, right? Show me around all the sites only locals know about?"

Caleb: "Yeah, sounds great!"

Barb: "Great! Oh, and I got your glasses to go down to $60."

There it is. Caleb was blown away and so was Britney and everybody he shared that testimony with yesterday. We can't wait to experience more days like this, when we are living in dependence on our Father. It's in moments of surrender and lifestyles of dependence on him that God provides because he loves all of us like crazy.

Again: Our Father is ridiculous in his overwhelming love for each and every one of us.

Ready, Set, JUMP

Incredibly, we will be moving to Vienna in about 2 weeks! It's still surreal and we are so excited to be able to serve Christ at ICSV.  The experience so far has been life-changing and we can't guess at what blessings and lessons our Father has in store for us.

Already, he has taught us a little bit about dependence, about trust. 

Like the, "Ready, set, jump-out-of-a-plane-now-trust" that our family was reminded of at church this morning. Or the, "Kill your son Isaac please," kind of trust...

Well, maybe we haven't felt THAT kind of pressure yet in reality, but sometimes it feels like it. Being asked to let go of control is really scary to lots of people; it really is to us. And that's what God is asking us to do as we build a team to be with us in spirit as we teach in Vienna.

He's preparing us for a time of dependence on him and his goodness, which he manifests through our team - through you who pray for us and give from your hearts. Thank you for being vessels of his glory!

"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet our heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" Matthew 6:26

Peace,
Caleb & Britney

The Beginning

Hello! This is our first post on our new blog! We are excited to document our time in Vienna and share it with all of you. Check out this great video some of our super talented friends made!

Thanks for checking out our blog! For more info about our upcoming move to Vienna go to the "About Us" section.

Peace,
Caleb & Britney