Very soon, we will be standing on American soil. 25 days soon, to be exact!!!
We are so excited and so blessed to even be able to come back and see as many friends and family as we can. We wouldn't be able to make the trip if it weren't for all of our generous supporters. In fact, we wouldn't be able to do anything here if it weren't for God's goodness streaming to us, through you.
And it is God that is in control of our mission, our vision, our words. It's hard to remember that, even when typing up a tiny post. Yet, it's true that God is fantastically determined to touch each of our lives.
He has this vigorous yearning to love us. As we look back on these past months and look forward to sweet summertime, we can't help but recognize God's life-changing love in memory after memory.
2013
August - Unbelievably, we landed in Vienna after a flurry of a summer raising support and building our precious prayer team. This was not simple and did not develop as a result of our own strength. Our Father was just getting started.
September - During a month of stressful preparation and assimilation into the system of education, God didn't let go of us. Caleb was especially anxious about teaching well and we both were trying to keep calm about money. Then, we found a gift on Caleb's desk: €200.
October - Relationships with staff and students at the school were beginning to bloom. Caleb was able to build a strong base with many of the high school students and Britney with the elementary students / staff. Looking back, it's so cool to see how God has groomed those relationships.
November - After weeks of uncertainty, our Visas came in! It came right down to the wire and we weren't sure if we were going to be able to afford whatever costs the whole deal might incur. Yet, the Lord provided again, despite overwhelming obstacles.
December - Christmas in Vienna was gorgeous and Jesus showed us his love again through the hospitality of dear friends.
2014
January - We found out about our baby!!!
February - Because of generous friends here, there, everywhere, we were able to go to Florence, Italy! It was a fantastic trip; Jesus brought us closer together in our marriage and built up solid friendships with a family here.
March - Caleb turned 23 and celebrated life with Britney and friends here!
April - Our baby is a boy!!
Which brings us to May - which brings us to today. After school, we were riding home on the Ubahn together (Britney came in to work today, which was fun!) planning our dinner. This month we are lower financially than usual, mainly because of the cost of tickets back to the States.
Still, we've concentrated on praising God for the abundance that he has blessed us with in past months (through you!) and we've decided to trust him no matter what.
So, we bought our groceries, making sure everything was a necessary purchase, and made our way back to our apartment. At the elevator, we decided to check the mail - which usually translates into, "throw away pointless ads."
Instead of big pictures of greasy pizza, we found a simple, white envelope. Inside the envelope, was €300.
We couldn't contain our excitement or wipe the dazed smiles off our faces. God is so good; he is a gentle Father and a glorious King. Please keep joining us in praising him! Thank you for your prayers and support. Your financial gifts are humbling and comforting. Your prayers are powerful!
Peace,
Caleb & Britney & Son
Monday, May 19, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
Will You Pray?
I believe! Help my unbelief!
In the Gospel of Mark, in chapter nine, the father of a demon-possessed boy cries out to Jesus. He is at a loss; doubt fills his very bones and he fears for his child. He has seen the disciples fail to cast out the spirit, only minutes before, and now he's reached the point where nothing can be done.
He has doubts.
Yet, when Jesus tells him that everything is possible for those who believe, he shouts those very words: I believe! Help my unbelief!
If we allowed ourselves a little more freedom to be like that father in Scripture, we might experience more than we could ever imagine. Yes, he had doubts, but he didn't let those doubts stop him from crying out, in faith, to Jesus.
Caleb just got back a couple days ago from a short-term mission trip to Romania with a group of ICSV high schoolers. It was a fantastic time of serving others and building deeper relationships within the group. God encouraged people, convicted others, fulfilled prayers, and brought people closer to him. Caleb and the other staff leaders had opportunities to share the love of Christ and the good news with students who had rarely heard it before, or understood it. It was a Spirit-filled time and lots of good stories could be shared.
However, there is one story that rises above the rest; it's the kind of story that is meant to be shared, over and over, because God gets all the glory.
On the last night of the trip, Caleb was able to listen to several students share about some intimate and important matters in their lives. One student in particular talked about doubt and his desire to control his circumstances. It's incredible how God invests in our humanness and steers our conversations.
The very next morning, the team said goodbye to the Romanians and the missionaries there, and took off for Vienna. It was a typical early morning drive. Uneventful.
That is, until the caravan reached the Romanian / Hungarian border. Upon crossing over into "no man's land," the trip was halted. Long story short, the student that Caleb had connected with the night before was detained for the next nine hours, in between Romania and Hungary.
At first, the team felt in control. As a staff, we considered our options and started making calls. We encouraged the students to pray and we prayed ourselves. Everything looked like it would work itself out in a couple of hours. It was when five hours turned into six, and six into eight, that we were really reaching our limit.
The student was lonely and restless. The staff was worried and uncertain. More than a dozen other students were wandering the Hungarian border, waiting for their friend who was stuck on the other side. Already, nobody was getting back until 11:30 PM. So, we decided we needed to split up the group.
And we decided we needed to pray . . . again.
We separated the students and packed as many as we could into two of the vans. A third was going to stay behind with Caleb and other staff members in order to wait for the student. One of the leaders left the waiting room to get the ball rolling . . . and found that a van had died. No battery juice. No energy.
Lots of doubt.
And still, we prayed. Now here's where it gets nuts.
This whole time, not a single guard in the office spoke English or German. No communication was happening and we couldn't understand the details of the situation. Finally, a guard showed up, out of nowhere, who spoke English!
He told our student that his only option was to go back into Romania and catch the next flight to Austria.
What?
We couldn't believe it; we explained that this, our "only option," wasn't even an option because the Romanians wouldn't let him back in! He was stuck in between the borders. The van with the dead battery was stuck in Hungary. We were stuck in doubt. What in the world was going on? Something that we expected God to fix quickly and efficiently had become a serious problem. We couldn't let a student fly alone into Vienna. More than that, this was the student who had doubts about the gospel. Why wouldn't God just show up and dispel all mystery?
"We believe God . . . help our unbelief."
And that's exactly what happened. At the very worst moment, hours and hours after we had lost all sense of control, God stepped in.
The same guard, the one who spoke English and gave us the ultimatum of our "only option" came back out and smiled.
"I have friends. I talked with my friends. You are free to go." That's it. You are free to go.
The student looked at each one of the leaders and we all looked at him. We turned and looked at the border guard, who smiled. Then, we turned around and left the waiting room. Outside, because of the dead battery, all of his friends were still there. Everybody witnessed God at work, turning the impossible into no big deal. Everybody was a witness, even the border guard who, as we left, smiled and asked us, "Will you pray for me?"
Prayer and faith, even in the face of doubt, are so powerful because we serve a powerful, loving God. Praise him for this miracle and the miracles he performs in your lives! Please be in prayer for our student(s) who experienced this, that they would grow closer to Jesus. Pray that he / they would recognize that they are sincerely loved by their teachers and by God.
Peace,
Caleb & Britney & Baby!
In the Gospel of Mark, in chapter nine, the father of a demon-possessed boy cries out to Jesus. He is at a loss; doubt fills his very bones and he fears for his child. He has seen the disciples fail to cast out the spirit, only minutes before, and now he's reached the point where nothing can be done.
He has doubts.
Yet, when Jesus tells him that everything is possible for those who believe, he shouts those very words: I believe! Help my unbelief!
If we allowed ourselves a little more freedom to be like that father in Scripture, we might experience more than we could ever imagine. Yes, he had doubts, but he didn't let those doubts stop him from crying out, in faith, to Jesus.
* * *
Caleb just got back a couple days ago from a short-term mission trip to Romania with a group of ICSV high schoolers. It was a fantastic time of serving others and building deeper relationships within the group. God encouraged people, convicted others, fulfilled prayers, and brought people closer to him. Caleb and the other staff leaders had opportunities to share the love of Christ and the good news with students who had rarely heard it before, or understood it. It was a Spirit-filled time and lots of good stories could be shared.
However, there is one story that rises above the rest; it's the kind of story that is meant to be shared, over and over, because God gets all the glory.
On the last night of the trip, Caleb was able to listen to several students share about some intimate and important matters in their lives. One student in particular talked about doubt and his desire to control his circumstances. It's incredible how God invests in our humanness and steers our conversations.
The very next morning, the team said goodbye to the Romanians and the missionaries there, and took off for Vienna. It was a typical early morning drive. Uneventful.
That is, until the caravan reached the Romanian / Hungarian border. Upon crossing over into "no man's land," the trip was halted. Long story short, the student that Caleb had connected with the night before was detained for the next nine hours, in between Romania and Hungary.
At first, the team felt in control. As a staff, we considered our options and started making calls. We encouraged the students to pray and we prayed ourselves. Everything looked like it would work itself out in a couple of hours. It was when five hours turned into six, and six into eight, that we were really reaching our limit.
The student was lonely and restless. The staff was worried and uncertain. More than a dozen other students were wandering the Hungarian border, waiting for their friend who was stuck on the other side. Already, nobody was getting back until 11:30 PM. So, we decided we needed to split up the group.
And we decided we needed to pray . . . again.
We separated the students and packed as many as we could into two of the vans. A third was going to stay behind with Caleb and other staff members in order to wait for the student. One of the leaders left the waiting room to get the ball rolling . . . and found that a van had died. No battery juice. No energy.
Lots of doubt.
And still, we prayed. Now here's where it gets nuts.
This whole time, not a single guard in the office spoke English or German. No communication was happening and we couldn't understand the details of the situation. Finally, a guard showed up, out of nowhere, who spoke English!
He told our student that his only option was to go back into Romania and catch the next flight to Austria.
What?
We couldn't believe it; we explained that this, our "only option," wasn't even an option because the Romanians wouldn't let him back in! He was stuck in between the borders. The van with the dead battery was stuck in Hungary. We were stuck in doubt. What in the world was going on? Something that we expected God to fix quickly and efficiently had become a serious problem. We couldn't let a student fly alone into Vienna. More than that, this was the student who had doubts about the gospel. Why wouldn't God just show up and dispel all mystery?
"We believe God . . . help our unbelief."
And that's exactly what happened. At the very worst moment, hours and hours after we had lost all sense of control, God stepped in.
The same guard, the one who spoke English and gave us the ultimatum of our "only option" came back out and smiled.
"I have friends. I talked with my friends. You are free to go." That's it. You are free to go.
The student looked at each one of the leaders and we all looked at him. We turned and looked at the border guard, who smiled. Then, we turned around and left the waiting room. Outside, because of the dead battery, all of his friends were still there. Everybody witnessed God at work, turning the impossible into no big deal. Everybody was a witness, even the border guard who, as we left, smiled and asked us, "Will you pray for me?"
Prayer and faith, even in the face of doubt, are so powerful because we serve a powerful, loving God. Praise him for this miracle and the miracles he performs in your lives! Please be in prayer for our student(s) who experienced this, that they would grow closer to Jesus. Pray that he / they would recognize that they are sincerely loved by their teachers and by God.
Peace,
Caleb & Britney & Baby!
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Falling, Fear, and a Good, Good Father
Dear Friends,
If you haven't heard, it is important for us to let you know that Britney is okay, but she is in the hospital because she fell and hit her head. There are a lot of ways to tell this story and maybe there will be another more joyful, less blatantly factual, more humorous post in the future. Right now even, some of the memories are pretty funny.
However, it seems best to keep it short (and sweet, praise God!) for the time being.
Yesterday (Saturday) we went to the mall, planning to go directly from there to a birthday party for our friends' daughter. We split up to do some shopping, but during the time we were apart, Britney's blood sugar got low and she fainted. She hit her head quite hard and got a concussion as a result. At first, it was a little scary because she exhibited some short term memory loss. Now though, she is doing much better, remembers everything, even the moments up until the fall.
At the mall, the security guards called the ambulance and Britney had a moment to call Caleb (another blessing from God that he gave her that thought!) who ran and found her.
She has been at the hospital for the past 27 hours or so and (another blessing!) Caleb has been able to stay with her the entire time, except for when he runs back to the apartment to get clean clothes or write up blog posts.
We don't have easy Internet access at the hospital, so hopefully this blog post will suffice for communication right now.
The main gist is, God is good. Britney is smiling, alert, and doing well. She is still uncomfortable, though, and the doctors are keeping her overnight again tonight. Also, very important, the baby is doing okay, as far as we know. We still haven't received any kind of scans or ultra sounds, so we are a little nervous, despite the doc's reassurances.
Please pray for:
If you haven't heard, it is important for us to let you know that Britney is okay, but she is in the hospital because she fell and hit her head. There are a lot of ways to tell this story and maybe there will be another more joyful, less blatantly factual, more humorous post in the future. Right now even, some of the memories are pretty funny.
However, it seems best to keep it short (and sweet, praise God!) for the time being.
Yesterday (Saturday) we went to the mall, planning to go directly from there to a birthday party for our friends' daughter. We split up to do some shopping, but during the time we were apart, Britney's blood sugar got low and she fainted. She hit her head quite hard and got a concussion as a result. At first, it was a little scary because she exhibited some short term memory loss. Now though, she is doing much better, remembers everything, even the moments up until the fall.
At the mall, the security guards called the ambulance and Britney had a moment to call Caleb (another blessing from God that he gave her that thought!) who ran and found her.
She has been at the hospital for the past 27 hours or so and (another blessing!) Caleb has been able to stay with her the entire time, except for when he runs back to the apartment to get clean clothes or write up blog posts.
We don't have easy Internet access at the hospital, so hopefully this blog post will suffice for communication right now.
The main gist is, God is good. Britney is smiling, alert, and doing well. She is still uncomfortable, though, and the doctors are keeping her overnight again tonight. Also, very important, the baby is doing okay, as far as we know. We still haven't received any kind of scans or ultra sounds, so we are a little nervous, despite the doc's reassurances.
Please pray for:
- Britney to regain total health
- the baby to be completely okay
- peace to reign in the hospital today, tonight, and tomorrow
Thank you so much for your prayers!
Caleb & Britney (& Baby!)
Friday, April 4, 2014
Take These Hands
Take these hands
Teach them what to carry
Take these hands
Don't make a fist
Take this mouth
So quick to criticize
Take this mouth
Give it a kiss
This past week was Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW) at school. It's a week of intentional focus on Jesus and how he loves us. We have chapel everyday, during which we worship God through music, teaching, and praying. Typically, students are deeply affected and lives are changed.
This semester was no different.
From among the staff, several teachers were able to give their testimonies and share what God had laid on their hearts. Caleb was blessed to be one of those teachers when he spoke on Thursday during High School Chapel. Now, it's rare that he goes up with a planned talk and speaks in front of other humans - so rare, in fact, that he can't remember the last time it happened - so there were definitely some nerves.
However, it became just another one of those experiences that our Father has been laying in our laps day after day, week after week. God was able to say, yet again, "Depend on me. See what happens."
The Scriptures promise "peace that transcends all understanding" (Philippians 4). We have been constantly blessed by such a peace (money issues, visa issues, responsibilities, pregnancy, etc. etc.) and as Caleb began to share his stories, all the nerves disappeared on cue. God is good!
Please be praying for our students here at school, that they will have opportunities this weekend to sit still before God and open their hearts. Pray that the words Caleb was given to share and the words of all the other wonderful teachers who spoke would weigh on the hearts of the students whom God wants to touch. Several students have already reached out to those of us among the staff, asking for prayer and encouragement.
Please join us in prayer for those kids!
Our God is so good. He is a God of grace and mercy. He knows just how to open our hands and how to use them for his glory.
Peace,
Caleb & Britney (& Baby!)
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Where Do We Come From?
Where do we come from?
That's a question that's been on our minds the past few weeks. It seems like it's a theme that's been cropping up in our conversations.
In thinking about this question, both of us have decided that we are fantastically blessed.
Here are a few of the ways that we have been answering that question:
It's hard to even describe how thankful we are to all of you. To you, who have shaped us and are continuing to affect us, through gifts, prayer, teaching, and love. It's humbling to think about who we might have become, on our own.
God uses people sensitive to his voice to impact other people. Thank you for being sensitive to his voice.
Peace,Caleb & Britney
That's a question that's been on our minds the past few weeks. It seems like it's a theme that's been cropping up in our conversations.
In thinking about this question, both of us have decided that we are fantastically blessed.
Here are a few of the ways that we have been answering that question:
- We come from parents and grandparents who have dedicated their lives to caring for us.
- We come from a college that has taught us to think and to feel, to question and to believe.
- We come from a church that loves big and isn't afraid of radical community.
- We come from friends who are not afraid to lose all, for the sake of Christ.
It's hard to even describe how thankful we are to all of you. To you, who have shaped us and are continuing to affect us, through gifts, prayer, teaching, and love. It's humbling to think about who we might have become, on our own.
God uses people sensitive to his voice to impact other people. Thank you for being sensitive to his voice.
Peace,Caleb & Britney
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
An Italian Vacation
Hello Friends!
It's been a while. In between this post and our last, we have continued in ministry here, serving the students at ICSV and our local church. It's an ever-growing, character-changing blast! Of course, along with the adventures at school and church we always have our baby at the back of our minds.
Britney's diet now subsists of . . .
It's been a while. In between this post and our last, we have continued in ministry here, serving the students at ICSV and our local church. It's an ever-growing, character-changing blast! Of course, along with the adventures at school and church we always have our baby at the back of our minds.
Britney's diet now subsists of . . .
- sour gummy worms
- pickles
- Culver's butterburgers*
- Arby's curly fries*
- Applebee's wings*
- fruit
- applesauce
*note that these delicacies are only fantasized about, not actually consumed. So sad.
Britney's current dislikes (as of 7:28 pm on the 25th) . . .
- most kinds of cheese
- McDonald's (WHAAAAAAAATT?!??? Also, Burger King is a-okay)
- tomatoes
- sausages and most meats
As for Caleb, he still likes everything (except for his wife . . . not really :D )
Our next appointment with the doctor is on March 17th and we hope to hear a heartbeat! Please join us in prayer for the baby's health, as well as for our trust in the Lord. Sometimes, worries sneak up on us. Thank you for being great friends and for all your prayers already!
Another thing that has happened since we last posted is that we got to go on vacation to Florence, Italy! After some other plans fell through due to cost, we were SO blessed by some friends here who invited us to come along with them for an essentially free stay! The food was delicious, the art incredible, the sights fantastic, the laughs belly-busting.
It was a great time and we are so thankful for the opportunity to have gone - thankful for your support, for God's timing, and for our friends' invitation.
Check out the pictures below!! (we also went to Pisa, Italy and watched people mime-push the tower over).
Friday, January 31, 2014
NBD. JK.
I think it's safe to say this is the most exciting post we have written . . .
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!
It has been an exciting, scary, unbelievable couple of weeks. We took a home pregnancy test on January 16th and, to our surprise, it was positive! So then we took another. Of course, that test was also positive. We were so shocked and incredibly thrilled. We found a doctor that speaks great English and had our first ultrasound. Our tiny baby was barely visible, and looked quite like a peanut. The little heartbeat was such an incredible thing to see (we haven't heard the heartbeat yet, but we expect that to be an equally amazing experience). It has been very hard to keep such wonderful news a secret. Now that we have had the time to share this with our families we are ecstatic to tell all of you! According to the doctor Britney is about 7 weeks pregnant, with an estimated due date of September 17, 2014. We hope you will join us in praying for this tiny life that is being formed. We are so thankful for this blessing and believe that it is all happening in God's timing. Along with the excitement come some fears. We know that miscarriages are quite common, and with Britney not being very far along this fear has creeped into our minds. But we keep reminding ourselves to trust in Jesus. We cannot dwell on the "what ifs." Instead we want to praise God for this life and thank Him continuously for giving us the honor of being parents. We know this baby is already loved so much, not only by us and our families, but by the creator of the universe. Thank you for being a part of this very new and exciting experience. Enjoy the fun photos we had a friend take for us!
Peace,
Caleb, Britney, & Baby
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!
It has been an exciting, scary, unbelievable couple of weeks. We took a home pregnancy test on January 16th and, to our surprise, it was positive! So then we took another. Of course, that test was also positive. We were so shocked and incredibly thrilled. We found a doctor that speaks great English and had our first ultrasound. Our tiny baby was barely visible, and looked quite like a peanut. The little heartbeat was such an incredible thing to see (we haven't heard the heartbeat yet, but we expect that to be an equally amazing experience). It has been very hard to keep such wonderful news a secret. Now that we have had the time to share this with our families we are ecstatic to tell all of you! According to the doctor Britney is about 7 weeks pregnant, with an estimated due date of September 17, 2014. We hope you will join us in praying for this tiny life that is being formed. We are so thankful for this blessing and believe that it is all happening in God's timing. Along with the excitement come some fears. We know that miscarriages are quite common, and with Britney not being very far along this fear has creeped into our minds. But we keep reminding ourselves to trust in Jesus. We cannot dwell on the "what ifs." Instead we want to praise God for this life and thank Him continuously for giving us the honor of being parents. We know this baby is already loved so much, not only by us and our families, but by the creator of the universe. Thank you for being a part of this very new and exciting experience. Enjoy the fun photos we had a friend take for us!
Peace,
Caleb, Britney, & Baby
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