And Now, the Waiting Room

While it's nice to have a chance to sit still, pray, and write this post, it's not difficult to imagine dozens of other more enjoyable environments…

But Oliver has had a fever over the last couple of days and seems to be a bit dehydrated because he won't drink very much of his milk. So, we thought it best to take him and see what the doctors think. 

As an Austrian SpongeBob SquarePants goes about his life on the TV above us and kids play with toys across the room, we sit and wait. It's not a comfortable experience; it's not relaxing. We feel helpless as Ollie sleeps on Mommy's chest. Waiting. 

What are we supposed to do?

As frustrating and heartbreaking as it can be, we sense more and more, as we learn about being parents, that the answer to that question is surprisingly - almost disturbingly - simple. 

Close your eyes. Still your heart. Give it to God. 

Just give the worry and the frustration and the inability to fix the problem to God, the good and glorious Father. 

It's harder than it sounds. Yet, a peace descends in the midst of the clamor of our hearts and it gets a little easier to breathe again. And when it's easier to breathe, it's easier to see what can be done, even if that's nothing more than sitting in a hospital waiting room. 

We'll be updating as we find out more. In the meantime please be praying for Ollie and for us. Look for a post within the next few days that will have updates on our ministry!

Peace,

Caleb, Britney, and Oliver!

Happy New Year!!

Okay, we know it's a little late for a genuine "Happy New Year!!" post.

Yet, if you're anything like us, '2015' still looks like an awkward distant cousin and you're probably still scratching out the 4's that you keep writing instead of 5's. Anybody?

Regardless, here we are, thinking about the future all over again. And we are extremely excited to share some big news with all of you . . .

After praying for months and listening to advice / encouragement from family and dear friends, we have decided to recommit to the ministry here in Vienna!

Here are the details: we plan on staying another two years, serving in the same capacities as we have been, while deepening relationships and possibly opening up to any other roles God might guide us into. This means that Caleb will continue teaching at the school, in the high school English department, and Britney will stay connected with the extracurricular activities she has been serving in (such as planning the school dance!).

Of course, we will be engaged in other ministry opportunities, as we have been, such as serving in our church.

A big part of this decision rested on many of you, our prayer & financial supporting team. Without your desire to continue in ministry with us, we wouldn't be able to choose to stay here in Vienna. We will be connecting with you with more specific details as we ease out of the holiday season (anybody's tree still up?) and we are determined to open up new, creative ways of communication, while continuing with the blog post and prayer letters.

Keep checking back here for pictures of Ollie and stories of God's goodness here in Vienna!

Peace,
Caleb & Britney & Oliver!!

We Lift Up One Voice

The night started as all extra-curricular events do: late. Students were exploring the building, which was by now free of any academic aftertaste, and cookie crumbs were spilling all over the carpet. The place was ripe for music - but not just any kind of music. What was to come would be focused; all the voices in the room would soon join together in singing to and with and for and because of a person.

The Person.

Slowly, the nearly-all-student team of musicians gathered around the front of what we at ICSV like to call the AP Room. The All-Purpose Room is used for, you guessed it, anything and everything. Last Wednesday, it transformed, as it so often does, from an empty space into a holy place.

Students from all over the world settled in for an evening of worshiping God; there were teenagers from all over the spectrum: 13-year-olds and high school seniors, Koreans and Canadians, those close to their Father and those wandering and wondering. Muslim students were there and kids who don't know if God even cares . . .

. . . we were all awed and humbled by how much he really does care.

Throughout the night, students worshiped through song, prayer, and testimony. Two students shared from the depths of their experiences how good God is. It was glorious and beautiful to be a part of the fellowship. When we got back home, Ollie sleeping contentedly in his stroller, we looked at each other. It's nights like that which make ministry at ICSV so unique and fulfilling.

Hopefully, we could share a bit of what it was like that night with this post. Please pray that students would feel the impact of God's love throughout the coming days, even when the lights all turn back on and the homework starts piling.

Peace,
Caleb & Britney & Ollie!

Looking Ahead

Hello Friends!

Since we last posted, life has become quite a bit busier as we have begun to learn what a responsibility it is to care for a child. The fullness of the calling to be a parent is exactly that: full. The things that we receive, the joy and awe, are complete; meanwhile, the things that we lack, little things like SLEEP . . . we lack entirely.

But this is the best tired we've ever felt.

Oliver is healthy and our family is becoming more and more united in Christ's love. We were even so blessed to have Caleb's mom and brother (Karen & Jason) come visit! It was a time of rejuvenation after our exhausting hospital experience and it couldn't have been more fun. Jason got to taste the city of his birth - yes, we ate several kebaps and made sure to buy gelato on every corner - and Karen was able to lavish her love on her first grandbaby!

Karen & Britney at Schönbrunn Palace

Jason showing off his new uncle skills! 

The boys at Schönbrunn Palace

Oliver and his Omi

Newness and wonder saturated our days as we toured the sights and laughed together in a completely unique context; two years ago, nobody could have guessed that we would be living in Vienna, raising our newborn son, and serving God in ministry to the international community here.

Still, when God began stirring our hearts and getting us ready to move here last year, we were certain he was guiding us. He has been and always will.

Therefore, we are praying earnestly and asking that all of you would too. The time is coming quickly for us to decide if we are going to stay in Vienna a few more years, or move back to the United States. Although we are certain that the Lord will soon start showing us his big ideas and direction for our life, we are, for now, in the dark.

So, we are praying for the light to make things clear. Specifically, we are praying for these things and we ask that you would too: that God might reveal his will through . . .

• increasing or decreasing our support / finances
• the advice and support of our closest family and friends
• peace towards our current context of ministry, or towards a new one
• his distinct voice in our times of solitude and silence with him

We anticipate God's illuminating guidance and we will keep you in the loop as we are led by him.

Peace,

Caleb & Britney & Oliver!

God Is Not Hiding

A couple of cool stories of God's glorious nearness in the lives of his children - to be told in order of occurrence . . .



. . . it costs money to take the train. Sad, but true. Hence, the dilemma: at the train station, sitting on a bench, pondering the likelihood of getting cornered by a Schaffner - a ticket inspector. They don't come by every time . . . will it be a burly, ferocious Austrian man with a frown for a face? Can I weasel my way out of a fine with the "American tourist" persona?

You don't know the true depths of your depravity until you find yourself gauging the cost/benefit of purchasing a train ticket.

Shamefully enough, that's exactly where Caleb found himself this afternoon, on the way home to Vienna from Tulln. After muddling through the ticket ATM (is that what we call those??) a few days back, Caleb purchased a week ticket . . . for the wrong week. So, he sat on the bench in Tulln earlier today. And he prayed.

And here's the reason we are sharing this story: in the midst of great fear over Oliver and great stress, God has not left us alone. He is present with us, even in the little things, like buying a train ticket. After praying, Caleb was reminded of what Jesus said once, "Give to the ÖBB what is the ÖBB's" (or something along those lines). Thus, with great reluctance, but certain of the Spirit's guiding hand, he bought yet another ticket to cover the trip home. At this point, he did this purely because he felt the Spirit saying it was the right thing to do.

When the Schaffner came by, Caleb realized that it was that and more. Paying fines for riding black is not part of the budget we have written up. God knows that, of course, as he is the Great Provider. He kept us from experiencing more stress than we need - he speaks to us and guides us.



. . . and here's the second story: Oliver is healed.

The doctors came to Britney only a short time after Caleb shared the story of the ticket with her. They told her that the blood results came back and the infection he had is now gone. He still needs to stay in the hospital and finish out the antibiotics, but he is healthy.

Our Lord is with us in the ordinary. He is with us in the unbearable struggle.

He is with you.

Thank you all for your prayers,
Caleb & Britney & Oliver

Oliver

Dear Friends,

May you be blessed, as we have been, to hear that Oliver James Dossett was born on the 23rd of September. May you think back on the early days of your children, grandchildren, siblings, nephews, nieces, and all of the beautiful babies you have ever known. God, the Creator, the great Father, is good.

Indeed he is and glorifying his name seems to be the only way to begin this post. Since Monday - the day Britney went into labor - the Spirit has been a constant comforter and source of peace. There is so much to tell about Britney's confidence and her strength through the birth. There is so much more to share about Oliver, about his beautiful eyes and rascally hair.

Yet, the aim of this post is two-fold: to celebrate and to petition.

It's hard to go into full-party-mode right now because Oliver has an infection, which sprang upon us quite suddenly, but has been affecting him since the birth. In short, it's causing him to lose weight and it's exacerbating the little bit of jaundice that he has. Because of this, he was quickly transferred from the hospital in Klosterneuburg to a much larger hospital in Tulln. He is being treated there by a very caring and capable staff.

Everything about this is scary . . . and awe-inspiring. It's terrifying to watch your little boy be taken away from you in an incubator. It's humbling and relieving to realize that if we had left the hospital in Klosterneuburg any earlier, Oliver would be suffering much more now - we may not have even identified the infection if it hadn't been for the wonderful staff there. Instead, now he is being cared for in the best way possible.

And then again, it's still scary: Britney is in the hospital, sleeping a few floors above our wonderful miracle; however, Caleb is at home because the hospital wasn't able to accommodate him. So, all three of us are feeling incredibly alone right now.

And yet, it's something else as well and we leave you with this: On Tuesday, the 23rd of September 2014 at 5:23, God brought another person into the world. He shaped this person from a strange collection of DNA into a cuddly, soft baby that kicks and wiggles in his sleep. He took this person out of another person, which should bring each and every one of us to our knees.

God is good and we have seen his goodness because he has made it evident in our world, as well as in our lives. For now, we ask that you would all petition him in prayer that Oliver will recover in full health, that Britney will be at peace tonight and receive supernatural rest, and that Caleb will rest well & quickly in order to be back at the hospital in the morning.

Peace,
Caleb & Britney & Oliver!

Our Little Headache

Dear Friends,

As some of you may know, this past Wednesday was Oliver's due date!!

. . . however, as some of you may know, our little boy is still chillin' in the womb. It's been a full three weeks or so since the last surprise hospital visit we took when Britney was having contractions. At the time, we thought we were going to meet the little guy sooner than anticipated; instead, we've learned, as they say, "the hard way".

We've learned that pregnancy doesn't necessarily rise to a water-breaking climax - at least, as in our case, not before multiple false starts. This kid can really cry wolf.

It started all over again last night when Britney started complaining of a headache. She rarely deals with headaches and has no history of migraines. So, after two and a half hours of brain-shattering pain, we started doing some research. According to the omniscient Google, headaches in the late stages of pregnancy can possibly indicate pre-eclampsia.

After praying and reading, we decided to call our dear friends, Brad and Stacey Hunter. Brad came by, picked us up (this was at midnight!) and took us to the hospital, where the staff took really good care of Britney (and Oliver).

We stayed overnight, against Britney's wishes, and she underwent several tests / blood-work to make sure there wasn't any danger of pre-eclampsia, or anything else.

The doctors and midwives at the BabyVilla in Klosterneuburg are so hospitable and joyful. Although we didn't want to be at the hospital for anything other than a birth, their care made the experience quite comfortable.

Now, we are back home, praying that the big headaches will stay away . . . and that our little headache will get here ASAP.

Peace,
Caleb & Britney & Oliver!