Community

"Dear Friends,"

We often open our posts with that word. It is central to this blog; we aim to update regularly in order to share our lives with you. It is a word that is key to our very lives, as if there were something holy about the concept it conveys. Indeed, we feel that there is.

Friends.

Remembering the intimate, genuine communities that we experienced in Greenville and in our families back home, we sometimes find ourselves shying away from the word and the memories that come with it. Then, all of a sudden, we dive right in and spend an hour scouring Facebook history, laughing like maniacs (try it sometime).

And then we're in bed, and in the dark the people we love feel just that much more distant.

This has been the most difficult battle that we have faced in our move to Vienna. Struggling to "fit in" is hard enough; fighting to build lasting friendships, that fulfill a very real part of who God made us to be, is daunting. It's a little hard to write about because vulnerability is rough. The sandpaper of the spiritual world.

And now you're all like, well guys, sandpaper is a good thing, it brings about beauty from the scattered imperfections of a surface. And we're all like . . .

Yes.

Community is something humans long for because God made us in his image. First, we're built to grow in community with God; then, with each other. So, it's natural to miss friends when they are far away. It's also natural to search for community in any new place and we praise God daily for the people, the community, that he has brought us into. Our fellow teachers and church family are becoming dearer friends, day by day. They know exactly what we are experiencing - they've been through it all as well. That in itself is a great comfort because we can't pretend that we are alone in this.

We have our blossoming community here.

We also have our deep-rooted community in the States - and across the world as many of our close friends are serving overseas!

Thank you for being our friends. Please continue to pray for us, specifically that we would keep on finding and nurturing friendships here. We have great hopes for what God is doing in Vienna.

Peace,
Caleb & Britney