Last night

I began my German class last night after missing 2 weeks because of lack of space for me. My goodness, was I lost! I could barely explain what I was thinking when she asked me what I thought about the story we had just read. I was still processing what I had read!!! I've had this teacher before and she's ok, but speaks SO fast! I really miss my teacher from last semester. She was excellent.

Today I will be running errands with Nathan, after his nap of course. I think we'll attempt Nathan's first professional haircut. A friend told me a good place to go with kids, so I think we'll try there. Danny has class tonight and is also preparing his sermon for this Sunday.

Krista

Better late than never!

Today I finally get to start my German class. I've missed the last 2 weeks because they didn't have room for me in the night class. Originally, I was signed up for the mid-day class, but we realized that Danny would also be in class at that time and that would leave us in a jam with Nathan. Also I would have missed my Mother/Child group I'm a part of and after talking with my friend, Penny, going to night classes would be worth it just so I could continue meeting with friends. It's also a place I get to practice my German. So here I go again...I'm really praying that I can get this language down. I have days where I feel pretty confident with what little I know, then I'll struggle getting the most basic phrase out of my mouth and I'm back to square one, or so I feel that way. Keep Danny in mind too, he has a test on February 2nd. If he passes (I know he will, but he's nervous) then he will go into the University here and begin working on a degree.

Krista

Saturday with Friends

We had a blast today! We met up with some friends and rode a cable car up a mountain just outside of Graz (just don't look down unless you can handle the height!). Danny, Nathan, Dora, Sandor, and myself went hiking, while Dora's husband and 2 daughters went skiing. It was a cold day, but Danny & I bought hiking boots yesterday and then we had "long johns" on, so we were nice and toasty. Nathan was ABSOLUTELY in love with sledding and having his best bud, Sandor to ride with him! The view was breath-taking! God did a great job on the mountains over here! Here are some pics from our day.

Krista



Our Family

Nathan & Sandor sledding

Krista & Dora

What a view!

Finally Friday

Well, we made it through another week. Besides Nathan's accident (see yesterday's post), everything went fairly smoothly. Tomorrow we are planning to go hiking with a family from the church. We are supposed to take a cable car up into the mountians north of Graz. From there we are going to hike through the snow somewhere. We will be pulling Nathan on his sled. We are going to have lunch (and probably thaw out) at a Gasthaus (traditional Austrian restaurant). It sounds like its going to be an exciting day if we don't freeze. Thankfully, we should have good weather tomorrow. It is supposed to be around 38° F or 3° C (maybe a tad colder in the moutnians) as opposed to the 9.5°F or -12.5° C we had last week. As you might imagine, we didn't come up with the idea ourselves. It was the other family's. It will be nice to visit with them though. Have a great week-end!

Danny

You Should Have Seen The Other Guy!

Last night as we were returning home from being out, Nate had a little accident. It was already way past his bed time and he was pretty fussy. We were trying to guide him up the stairs from the garage and into the house. He really wasn't interested in going. After a little "encouragement" he finally began to go. As he toped the first flight of stairs and turned to start up the next one, he trip on a rug that we have in front of the back door. He crashed onto the bottom step of the second flight of stairs breaking the fall with his eye. If your keeping up this is the same eye that he cut open in September when he tripped and fell on the corner of the slide on the playground. Thankfully, we purchased a bottle of liquid band-aides after the first experience. Somehow I have a feeling that this will not be the last time we will have to use it. He goes full speed 24-7. He's tough though. It hasn't seemed to bother him at all today. Have a great day!

Danny

500 Hits

As of today our blog has been visited 500 times. That is pretty good considering we have only been posting for a little more than a month. We want to thank you for your interest in our ministry and our lives in Austria. It's not always the most exciting but thanks for caring anyways.

I have worked in the office for most of the day today. I'm trying to update our email and snail-mail address data bases. We send out a monthly "Family Update" by email as well as a quarterly "Newsletter." If you are interested in receiving those, email us (http://bbfi-europe.org/Caldwell/contactus.html) and request to be added to our e-mail list. You can also read them online at http://bbfi-europe.org/Caldwell/FamilyUpdate.html and http://bbfi-europe.org/Caldwell/caldwellpl.html if you'd prefer.

While I was in the office, Krista and Nate went out to go grocery shopping. Krista also treated Nate to lunch at Mickey D's. When they got home, Nate went straight to bed. When he is tired he doesn't put up that big of a fight going to bed. Right now Krista is making dinner and we are starting to wind things down for the evening. Hope you had a great day!

Danny

Weekend Update

I hope you had a great weekend. Ours went well. We didn't do anything overly exciting on Saturday, but we were productive. We stayed at home and got some work done around the house. As usual, on Sunday we were busy most of the day with church. We had good services Sunday morning. Krista sang with the Praise Team while I held Nathan (we don't dismiss the children to Sunday School until after the music). We also had a great Bible Study in the Persian group on Sunday evening. There were between 25 and 30 in attendance, including children. That is about twice what we normally run. It was a very good day. Well, I need to get rolling. I have my German course a little later. Have a great Monday!

Danny

Friday night

Tonight (actually in a couple of hours for us) I am heading off to Praise Band practice. Danny has a class party at the same time...he's had quite a few opportunities to witness to some of the people that are going. This will be a more relaxed atmosphere than the class room setting. Emily is going to babysit Nathan for us. He really likes her and they have lots of fun.

Have a great weekend!!

Krista

A "Finger" Tip

I'm only using nine fingers to type today. That's because, a couple of nights ago as I was working in under the kitchen sink trying to stop a leak, I slit the tip of my index finger on my right hand. I had taken the plumbing apart and was wiping everything clean. As I was wiping the drain hole in the sink I felt an immediate and sharp pain and then, of course, there was lots of blood. It's amazing what we take for granted. It has been difficult to take notes in class, to write emails (or blogs), to change Nate's diapers (getting out of that may be the only upside), and to do anything else that I use my hands for. It's really not that bad, just a annoyance. It was touch and go in the beginning but I think I'm gonna make it. So my "finger" tip for you is: take care when cleaning sharp metal objects or you might lose your finger tip! Have a safe day!

Danny

Waiting

My Deutsch kurs was supposed to start today, but over the weekend I realized that I would be in class when Danny is in class and that would leave Nathan alone...I don't think it's time to do that just yet ;) So I went to the office and asked if I could transfer to the other class. I really didn't want to because it's from 6pm - 8pm and by the time I would get home Nathan would be in bed or almost in bed, but it's the best scenario for us at the moment. Anyway, the night class was full and I'm waiting for a phone call saying they'll work me in. I've already missed Monday and it looks like I'll be missing tonight since no one has called yet. I'm praying they can fit me in because I can't afford (mentally) to take too much more time off. On the upside of all this, I will not have to miss my Mother/Child Bible study group I'm a part of on Wednesday mornings so that makes me happy.

Krista

Nathan's New Toys

Since the subtitle of our blog reads, "Thoughts and happenings of Danny, Krista & Nathan in Graz," I thought I would dedicate today's post to what is going on with Nate. Yesterday at church, his friends, Simon and Peter, gave him some "Bob the Builder" toys they had outgrown. When he got home from church he almost didn't want to eat lunch (which is very unusual) because he really wanted to play with the toys. Since then he has been playing with them virtually every waking moment. He slept with them last night and he wouldn't get in bed tonight without them. He is so proud of them.

It is so awesome to watch him grow up. I can't believe he is almost 20 months old. It seems like only yesterday we were sitting with him in ICU (the longest ten days of my life) wondering if we would ever get to bring him home. When we finally were able to leave the hospital with him we were so afraid we were going to break him. Now I just stare at him in amazement wondering how he hasn't broken himself. He goes full-speed 24-7. I am just thankful (as is Krista) that God allowed me to be a part of his life. He is nowhere close to perfect, but he is my son. If you have kids you understand that. If you don't it is really hard, if not impossible to explain. What a privilege and responsibility to be a parent. Have a great day!

Danny

Sunday Evening

As you may have noticed, Krista has been doing most of the posting the past few days. I have been a little under the weather. I think it may be due to the cold weather but, I'm not sure. Anyways it doesn't matter.

I wanted to tell you about my day on Friday. In my German class each student is required to give a 5 to 10 minute speech in German during the course of the semester. Friday was my turn. For my theme, I choose to talk about my job. I gave a history of who Baptist are and what we believe. Then I told about what I do as a pastor. I also presented each person with a handout that included list of Baptist groups in the US and Baptist churches in Austria. More importantly it included a section called "The Main Idea of the Bible" in which I wrote how a person becomes a Christian. Surprisingly, everyone was very interested. A handful of people stayed after class to ask me more questions. Please pray that God would use me to answer their questions between now and the end of our course. This was a very neat experience and I was very excited to be able to freely speak about my beliefs with my friends. Have a great evening!

Danny

Saturday

I have had a great morning! Danny let me sleep in and then when I woke up...he was bringing breakfast to me! What a way to start the day...a Saturday! There is still lots of snow on the ground and it's 23 F. I think we're going to just chill out at home today. Danny is doing some paper work and Nathan is already napping. Have a great weekend!

Krista

A friend

When I'm struggling with something (like prayer) it seems like things will come in my path that will challenge me. I may be challenged to not get my list of 'to do' done so that I can have a relaxing evening with my guys or the phone will ring, someone will stop by, Nathan won't go to sleep as fast or calmly as usual and before you know it I'm so exhausted I just go straight to bed without ever thanking God for the day or opening my Bible that day like I had planned.

Today I had a friend come and visit and she wanted to know how to get her family to pray. Wow. So I told her what I remembered about my parents teaching us to pray as children. She had so many questions and because Nathan is still so young I couldn't answer all of them because I don't know how I will handle certain situations. We are going to pray this one through together. I told her that now I have another reason to get myself challenged even more...I want to see this become a victory in her family.

Krista

Praying

Sometimes the load seems heavy. The reason: I don't cast my burdens on HIM. It's hard for me to 'let go and let God'. It's been one of those weeks where it seems like I give the burdens away and I turn around and I've still got a hold on them. It's hard to be away from family, friends who have known you for years, a church family, and other little things that just seem so insignificant but for some reason can add to the lonliness. Just remember to keep us in prayer and all the other people you know that are away from "home"...whether it's on U.S. soil or foreign soil. I'm sure there are plenty of others who feel the way I do that would appreciate someone praying for them. This was just something on my heart today and wanted to share. Thanks.

Krista

Almost Done

I'm midway through my first week of language studies since the Christmas break. I have less than a month to go until I finish my final German course. That doesn't mean that I am finished learning, however. I still have a ways to go before I would consider myself fluent. I do have a good foundation on which I can build, though. Tomorrow I have to register for a German proficiency exam that will determine whether or not I'm able to enter the university. The actual exam takes place on February 2. As you may recall our current visa situation is dependent upon my status as a student. Please pray for me throughout the next few weeks as I prepare for this test. Have a great day!

Danny

United in Prayer

Tonight Krista and I attended a prayer meeting at the Baptist Church. It was part of a week-long conference of the Evangelical Alliance (EA) in Austria. Last Sunday all the Evangelical churches in Austria who are part of the EA held united services in their respective cities or communities. Every night this week they are having prayer meetings hosted by different Evangelical churches. Though there are obvious theological differences that prevent these churches from working together on a practical level, it was nice to lay aside all the denominational names and unite under the name of Christ in prayer. Jesus taught that we should not to forbid others from ministering just because they are not part of "our" group. He said, "For he that is not against us is on our part" (Mark 9:40). I think sometimes it does us good to step back and see the big picture. Below are photos taken last year at the united service in Graz. Considering that the average Evangelical church in Austria runs somewhere around 40 to 50 (I'm speculating), the 600 or so attending the united service was amazing. Have a great day!

Danny

New Look

I would like to encourage you to check out the new look of our home page. You can link to it from the menu bar at the top of this page or by typing http://www.bbfi-europe.org/Caldwell/ into your web browser. Our web-editor, Bro. Don Tarvin, has done a great job updating our site for us. Our website is made available to us at no charge. If you like what you see, email Bro. Tarvin from the link at the bottom of our homepage and tell him about it. Our site is a vital part of our ministry that allows us to report on what the Lord is doing in our ministry and personal lives in Austria. Enjoy!

Danny

Pictures

Ok, here are a couple more...I know this takes up most of the page, but wanted to get a few more in.

Krista


Nathan talking to his Daddy while we were in Indiana


Nathan with Uncle Matt & Aunt Sherina (my brother)

Pictures from our trip

Just wanted to post a few pictures. Hope you have had a great weekend. We've had a nice time being home with Danny and just resting. Nathan has really enjoyed his space and seeing his room, bed, and toys again.

Krista


Nathan enjoying his new toys!


All ready for the wedding!!


Krista, Jill, & Sherina (sis-in-laws)


Nathan and the newly weds (my brother, Zach)

Snowy Saturday

Well things are slowly returning to normal here. Krista and Nathan are still trying to get over their jet lag. Last night Nate slept from 8:30 (his normal bedtime) until a little before mid-night. He was then wide awake for about an hour and a half, meaning Krista and I were also awake. We're hoping that after another day or so he will be back on his regular schedule.

It has been dark and cloudy here for most of the day. Earlier it started snowing again. Other than that, not much news to report. Just a normal Saturday, spending time together as a family. Have a great weekend!

Danny

Home Sweet Home

Nathan & I made it home safely last night. We are so unbelieveably exhausted! Nathan slept till 2pm this afternoon after going to bed around 9pm last night!! I slept till 11am and struggled even then. Jet lag is always worse coming this way.

The wedding was beautiful! I'm so excited to have a new sister, Jill. Her family was great too. We really enjoyed meeting them. I'm so thankful that we could be there and be a part of the wedding. Nathan did a great job and won the hearts of everyone around, of course. I'll post some pictures later.

Have a great day! I'm falling asleep again.

Krista

Coming Home

After 15 hours of traveling, Krista and Nate should be home around 6:00 PM our time or 11:00 AM CST. They were scheduled to arrive in Graz at 2:15 PM our time, but their original flight from Frankfurt to Graz was canceled. I know they will be exhausted by the time they get home. I can't wait to see them.

Having our VoIP phone (internet phone) has been nice for this trip though. I was able to call them as often I wanted and not have to worry about an expensive phone bill. Everyday that I have called Krista has put Nate on the phone to let him talk to me, too. Yesterday he probably talked to me for ten minutes. Of course it is all jibber-jabber but I was amazed that he was interested in talking for that long. At one point he kept saying, "Dadda, Dadda, Dadda." That got me way.

Well I need to get going and see if can't get something done. Have a great day. I know I will!

Danny

Hanging Out and Waiting

Last night I was invited over to the apartment of two guys from our Persian ministry. They prepared a typical Iranian meal for me, which was delicious. It was a rice and chicken dish. I got to there apartment a little after 6:00 and didn't leave until around 11:00. We had a great time just hanging out and talking for the entire evening.

Well, today is my last day of bachelorhood. Krista and Nate arrive back in Graz tomorrow night around 6:00. I can hardly wait to see them. It's no fun being apart. Have a great day!

Danny

Indiana

Well, I have finally found a moment to check e-mail and just catch up on a few things. Nathan is asleep (it's late night here, early morning in Austria) and the house is quiet. My mom & I are watching an old Cary Grant movie. The wedding was beautiful! I will share more later and pictures. I leave in about 2 days and I have enjoyed my visit very much, but I miss my hubby and Nathan misses his daddy!

Krista

New Feature

As you can see above, I added a new feature to our blog. Each day as you read our Blog you will also have the opportunity to read a short passage from God's Word. If you click on the link over the verse reference you will be taken to the Bible Gateway website where you can read the entire chapter in which the "Verse of the Day" is found or search any other passage of Scripture you might want to read. If you click on the speaker icon you will be able to hear the entire chapter in which the "Verse of the Day" is found. Enjoy!

Danny

Long Night, Long Day

Being that last night was New Year's Eve, I stayed up way too late as you probably did as well. It was worth it though, I think. I find it amazing to watch the Austrians bring in the New Year. At midnight the skies light up with fireworks. Really this begins earlier in the evening, but at midnight everyone shoots them off at once. I have never been in a war zone, but this has to be what it sounds like, only with pretty colors and celebration, rather than pain and suffering. It is so loud and the smoke is so thick you can hardly see. Rockets shoot across the sky from every direction and explode all around you. They are only getting started at midnight. The fireworks continue strong for about an hour but continue into the morning on a smaller scale. At 3:00 I was still hearing fireworks. It is difficult to paint a clear picture with words. It is really something to be experienced. Also they don't have laws here forbidding fireworks to be set off inside the city limits or if they do they are not enforced. I was driving down the street last night past a firehouse of all places, and the firemen where shooting off fireworks 15 to 20 feet from the street. Really you have to see it. Words just don't do it justice.

After a long night, morning (or is it mourning?) came to soon. I think being tired always makes the seem day longer. Normally our Sunday morning worship service last an hour and a half. This morning it lasted two hours. At church I learned that the man who is supposed to teach in the evening Persian Bible study was sick, so I had get something together to lead that group. I already had a lesson prepared so it was not to difficult, but looking over it and preparing a handout cut out any chance to catch a much needed nap. A family in the church had invited me over for dinner after the Bible study since Krista and Nate are out of town. I had a very nice time but did not leave until 10:00 PM. After I got home, I called Krista to check on her and Nate. She was heading to Wal-Mart for the first time since being in the states, so she couldn't talk long. Now I'm setting here typing this blog trying to hold my eyes open and wondering why I'm not in bed. I gonna sign off on that note. Have a great day or at least what's left of it!

Danny