Christmas Update

Follow up from Vertigo

Well, I (Ben) am pretty much back to normal now, thanks be to God. The doctor is running some tests, but I feel pretty good and can function normally now at home and at work. Thank you for praying for me and our family during the last two weeks--it's tough when you're flat in bed or the couch almost 24 hours a day!


On another note, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving here in Columbia, SC, with perfect weather! Mid to high 60's and sunny! Here's a picture below of Caleb with his buddy Nathan's football helmet.
We are so thankful for God's provision in our lives, and for your friendship, prayers and support. How about you? What are you giving thanks for during this specifically American Holiday?

Ben’s got Vertigo, again.

It’s been over 6 years since I last had it (Vertigo), but it hits hard when it comes. I feel so dizzy, unable to stand up on my two feet w/o feeling like I’m gonna teeter over. Ever had that feeling? Well, it’s not fun, I can guarantee you that. The medicine they give you is to counteract the nausea I feel all day, but it makes me drowsy, so I can’t even read or really type that well…what I do best during these days is sit here (really lay down in bed or on the couch) all day, in and out of consciousness and dizziness. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Well, Lord wiling it will pass soon. I’ll go to an ear nose & throat specialist this coming Tuesday…it’s been a bummer being sick at home these days…it’s been since Sat. night last week I’ve been feeling this way. Hopefully I’ll get better soon. We’d appreciate your prayers as I wait for healing and ask God for healing as well.

Thanks!

This is an email we got from Krista, Justin's wife, and his condition:

Thank you for your prayers. We noticed an improvement in Justin’s condition just hours after calling the States and informing you all so that you could be praying! God is so good! Please continue to pray for Justin as he is still quite weak and definitely not at 100%.

We are in N’Djamena, the capital, and had planned to be here this week for a week’s break. Just to clarify, Justin was not hospitalized. We had/have some fun things planned with the boys and hope we can still do some of them during our break, but so far we have just been taking care of Daddy! He’s thankful he’s been so sick in a place with electricity where there are overhead fans.

Again, thank you so much for your prayers. We are blessed most of all to serve a God who loves us and hears our prayers and also to have such a strong support team behind us!

Krista for the family

Pray for Justin Clermont

Hi folks,

Want to pass on an urgent prayer request: our good friend, Justin Clermont, missionary in Chad, has contracted some strain of malaria and is in the hospital there. All we know is that his body is not responding to treatment/medicine, and his wife, Krista, is concerned. Please pray for immediate response to the treatment, and that God would quickly intervene and make him well. Malaria can be quite serious depending on the strain. Their work in Chad is crucial--training Chadians as missionaries to their own people. Thank you for your intercession. I will post more as I find it out.

Ben & Becky.

Fall Festival

These are some pictures of the Fall Festival our church did in the neighborhood next to our church. Some of us dressed up as Bible character and took pictures with anyone who wanted to!

But here specifically is Caleb with his buddy Nathan after we were all done w/ the pictures.

Boy or Girl? Can you tell?

In good Bacheller tradition, we're going on our third boy... :-)

Our October Update

Caleb’s Birthday

Sorry we’ve been slow at posting the last couple of months. We’ve been quite busy. Last week we were in NC for a conference (Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills), which was very useful and will be useful for the future too. Before this, however, was an even more significant aspect of life we need to share with you: Caleb’s 2nd Birthday! Enjoy the photos below!!!

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Amazing, huh? This is NO FEAR!

Support and God's timing...

As you may know, my wife and I are in the process of raising support to go overseas as missionaries. It’s a difficult task, if you look at it from a human perspective. It can be discouraging, depressing, and defeating all at the same time—and then you get a surprise donor in the middle of that quagmire you were wallowing in which actually lifts your spirits and reminds you that it’s not because of you, but because of HIM that you’re doing this thing called support raising…and since He’s called you to the task, He’ll provide the way, in His time, if we’re faithful to obey Him from beginning to end…oh, no, not obedience during the support raising process—I’m talking about our lives on this earth, obeying Him from beginning to end.

And you know, in the process of struggling through these human emotions of mine, trying to trust Him through it all, I think I’m beginning to understand a bit how the whole thing works…yet because it’s a God thing, I really haven’t even scratched the surface…which is really the way it should be. God knows all; in comparison, I know nothing.

Here’s the point… I’ve heard many a person (including myself at times!) say that they wish they were super wealthy so that they could give a whole bunch of money to missionaries to get them to the field. I’m starting to believe that this really doesn’t happen because of a couple of reasons:

First: it wouldn’t be God-honoring. How so, you might ask? When we have plenty at our disposal, our own resources, and give out of our plenty, it would help many missionaries, sure, but not in the way that God has generally asked us to give. God desires sacrificial giving on our part, not because He can’t use the abundance He provides to some of us in the Church, but because when we give sacrificially, we honor the One who provided in the first place, trusting Him to continue providing for us. When we give sacrificially, it honors God because we are in a way saying that He is enough—He will provide!

Second: How many of us really think that if God blessed us according to our selfish desires (lots of money), we would really be responsible enough to give it back to Him without keeping some for ourselves? I myself say that I would manage it well; but, really, would I? I have come to believe that if God wanted me to be a wealthy man, He could have done so in whatever way He pleased, knowing that I would be a good steward of a vast horde of material resources. However, as it looks right now, I’m not independently wealthy, and I don’t plan on being so anytime soon. So, I think I’ll continue to trust God to provide for my needs while I give sacrificially to missions in my church and to other missionaries out of the little that I have.

Disclaimer: If by any chance you are reading this and are indeed a wealthy Christian—please give back to God! Yes, out of the plenty that you have, but I challenge you to do more…to give sacrificially out of your plenty, not just comfortably out of your plenty. I believe this is one way we grow in faith: trusting God with everything.

We're Good to Go!

At least we think…we’re good to go. We’ll know for sure in about three (3) months.

What an amazing intervention by God! After making an appointment for this past Monday morning to fill out the proper paperwork in Brazil, the man in charge said that we couldn’t do the process with him that morning. Even still, he took us into his office at the Federal Police in Anapolis, Brazil, and talked to us. After looking at Caleb’s Visa and the paperwork, he of course noted the mistake, and said that he couldn’t do the paperwork—we’d have to return to the Brazilian Consulate in the United States and start the process over. I pointed out that the Brazilian Consulate corrected their own mistake, but he said: “Sure, they did, but to what document does this correction apply? It could be to any document…” Such was the attitude of the man we were working with. Anyhow, after he said this, he was silent, staring at the documents. I put my head down, as did my mother who was helping with Caleb during all this, and we began to pray fervently, asking God to work in this man’s heart and in the whole situation. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, but was really only about 4 minutes probably, I looked up and saw that he had begun filling out the paperwork!!! Can you believe it?? He then proceeded to tell me that he didn’t know if it would go through all the way with the error, but that he was going to try—I told him we were going to pray that it would go through without problems! So, in about three months I can call that office in Brazil and see if Caleb’s Visa and Permanent Residency for Brazil have been approved, or if we’ll have to start all over again. Please pray with us that it will go through!

All in all, Caleb and I had a good trip to Brazil and back, though I am still trying to catch up on sleep—I don’t sleep well on airplanes overnight, especially not when I’m holding a kid the size of Caleb on my lap for eight (8) hours! But God is good, and we continue to trust Him for all our needs, large and small.

You can also expect a larger update in the regular mail from us soon, probably in a week or two. Keep in touch! And thanks for praying for us!

"The Government Can" Song

This was just too funny to not put here. Tim Hawkins is a favorite of mine, so when I saw this (Ben), I had to pass it on! Have a good laugh!

"In God we Trust..."?

Do we? Should we? What's the significance of this motto for the average American? Regardless, NBC has a poll they're doing on their website at this moment: Should the motto "In God we trust" be kept or taken off of the US dollar? Give it your vote at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/

At the Wyoming State Fair...Boy on a mission

Colorado & Wyoming

We flew in to Denver yesterday, and drove up to Douglas, Wyoming, where Ben was born back in 1980...we're sharing at the church my dad first pastored when he got out of seminary back in the late 70's. You can see farmland in this picture and the Rockies in the far background...what a beautiful Creation!

Here we are in Wyoming already, the badlands I suppose...this is right off an exit...kinda funny how there's not much around, just lots of land (flat land at that), some cattle, and wildlife.

You know, once it got dark, there was this strange feeling that came over us...we're in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming, cel phones don't get reception in some places, and there's no one or nothing to be seen for miles...even a single light in the darkness. It was an overwhelming feeling, but it also makes one think of God's presence being everwhere at all times...do we really believe that? Do I really believe it? If so, I have nothing to fear in the darkness, this is God's amazing Creation, and we are His creatures; He will always care for us.

Much needed rest...

Yes, traveling can be quite tiring...sometimes we do it in the car (except for the driver, of course!)...other times, a nap here or there, and mostly at night. One thing is sure: without sleep, and your prayers, we couldn't do this long trip this summer! Thanks for keeping us in your prayers as we finish our summer trip come September. God is good, and God is faithful!

In Western NY State

At one of the families we had dinner with in Olean, NY, their cat was looking out from the fence, wishing it could be free from prison! At least, that's what it looked like. :-) Not to worry, this cat runs free wherever and whenever it likes. (Nice cat, Paul & Pat).

So here Caleb and Daddy were thinking about getting in the water...Caleb was ready, but not daddy. We were at a wedding and couldn't really go for a swim at that point!

These pictures are of us blueberry picking! Caleb, of course, ate all that he picked...but if he put some in the bucket, they eventually got dumped! He enjoyed watching them fall out of his bucket and step on them--making blueberry juice in the grass with his feet!

This is Caleb running from Nana Smith! :-) He must have taken her blueberries!

During dinner one evening, we had a live alto saxophone performance by a talented jazz musician (who is our friend), Isaac, and as you can tell, Caleb was transfixed! Thanks Isaac, and thanks Paul and Pat for the wonderful food and fellowship!!

Caleb riding Norman

Caleb had a blast riding Nana Smith's horse! Thanks Nana!

Philly Flowers

Troublemaker...?

Doesn't he look like he's up to no good? He's a smart little guy...believe me, he knows what he's doing with that little smirk of his... ;-)

Uncle Josh & Stephanie!

We also made a quick visit to Uncle Josh & Stephanie down in Maryland where they work as Physical Therapists--great burgers at Red Robin!

More photos in the arboretum

This was a massive tree in the arboretum--isn't it beautiful?
This was a creation by an artist from out in California...all made out of branches of trees.
Here are some flowers and roses in the Rose Garden.
Of course, my bride and I.
And here's our family! Thanks Grammy White for taking this picture for us!

Lansdale and Philadelphia, PA

After July 4th in Boston, we headed down to Lansdale, PA, to see some college friends, and then to Philly to see Becky's grandmother. Caleb enjoyed playing with Connor in the sand--there was some pretty gritty hair that night that had to be washed read good!

In Philly, we went to the pool with Great Grammy White, as well as to the University of Pennsylvania's state arboretum--the trees and flowers were beautiful!

During this trip we've been amazed at how well Caleb has done in adjusting to the traveling and all the many people we meet up with. One of the pictures above shows Caleb playing with two girls he met at dinner one evening! No, we didn't even know them! They were playing on the grass tennis courts in front of the restaurant.

Boston

After our time in Avon, CT, we drove to Boston (really, Cambridge) where more college friends of ours live and work. We watched the fireworks to the Boston Pops playing music on a rooftop deck--it was wonderful! We spent a couple of nights with them and their daughter (Bella)--Caleb had a wonderful time too! On Sunday, we went to church with them at Park Street Church (on the Boston Commons) and walked around for a bit afterwards.

Fireworks in Boston

These were the fireworks we watched in Boston on July 4th night from Karen & Brian Winey's rooftop deck! Beautiful!

First leg of the trip

So, we figured it was about time to put up some pictures of our trip so far. Here's the first leg--we stopped by Ephrata, PA for a quick night's rest with good friends Drew & Jessica Broucek, and the next morning made our way up to Avon, CT, where some college friends got hitched! Cheryl (went to Houghton College with Becky and I) got married to Joel Vaughn. It was a wonderful wedding, and a great time to reconnect with many friends from college days. We went out to have the best pizza we've ever had, and Caleb enjoyed eating a lemon!