Fall update

With no update. Life is pretty much continuing at a regular pace for Austin and I right now. The Fall has been busy with church events, as Boston fills up with thousands of new people every fall. We have had lots of extra events for newcomers, but fortunately after a few busy months, things are slowing down.

We were thankful to learn that Austin only needed to take one class this semester, and it's through Gordon-Conwell's online learning program. Next semester, Austin will have two night classes during the week, but after those are completed he will graduate in May!! Austin is very much looking forward to being done with seminary! He keeps telling people he "thinks" he'll finish in May. I keep telling people if he doesn't, then he has to drop out :) He'll definitely finish though, and I'm so proud of him!

Last weekend, I flew down to Virginia for a last-minute trip (literally, I bought a ticket Thursday and flew in at 6 am Saturday morning!) I flew down to be able to attend my sister-in-law Emily's bridal shower, and was so thankful for my weekend with Austin's family! It was great to be able to spend time with them, and see how in love Emily and David are! I can't wait for their wedding in December!

Emily opening lots of fun gifts, such as these AWESOME girrafe shaped measuring spoons!


One of the shower games we played was to divide into teams and create a wedding dress from toilet paper. Emily then had to vote on which dress she would wear! While my team won the dress contest, I had to get a picture of my mother-in-law Leslie wearing her beautiful toilet paper wedding gown!

As far as other Fall events, I was disapointed that we did not make it out to any of the Mass. orchards to pick apples this fall. I did buy us pumpkins to carve for a date night, but they ended up just sitting in our windows uncarved (they still look nice though!). Our fun Halloween event was our church's annual Fun-Raiser, designed to raise funds for our church building. This year the goal was to specifically raise funds for revonations to our children's classrooms. This was especially neat for me to see as I am the lead nursery teacher and many of the families at our church are very good friends of ours.

This year, Austin and I were asked to be part of a team of young adults who all dressed up like the cast from Beauty and the Beast. Everyone's costumes were AWESOME! Left to Right: Cogsworth, Mrs. Poots, Beast, Chip, The Rose, Belle, the Feather Duster and the Lumier!

"Beauty and the Beast" doing a ballroom dance-- our camera has a "cartoon" feature that makes this image look especially neat!

Two of my loves

Abby and Claire! It was such a blessing to see them in Virginia! We last saw them when we visited my sister in Texas in April, and both girls have grown so much. Abby is talking up a storm, and learning new sounds and words every day. Claire has gained many rolls of chub since we saw her last, and still smiles almost constantly. Both girls are a joy to be near, and I am so thankful for them!

Below, Abby and Uncle Austin playing "Birthday Party." SO fun to see, especially as Abby has been a little shy/scared of Austin the past few times we've seen her :)



Abby, age 2.5



Claire, age 7 months. LOVE the chubby legs :)



Sisters!



Auntie Sara and Claire, the most smiley baby I've ever met!

Summertime!

I think my first few posts all had to do with my longing for springtime to come (it happened very late in Boston this year!) and now it's hard to believe summer is almost over!

One of my favorite parts of spring/summer in Boston are the vibrant colors the flowers bloom in.



One of the things that I was most sad about this summer was not being able to go to Virginia to visit family (we hadn't been back since last summer!). However, when we got back from India I learned I had more vacation time than I expected, so we quickly bought cheap tickets (yea for Jet Blue!) and flew down to Virginia for a long weekend. We had a great time visiting our nieces and my sister at my parents house. In Charlottesville we also got to see Chris and Cara, and their brand new house!!

The rest of our time was spent in Centreville, where we got to meet Christopher Brenon, our friends Kyle and Sarah's new baby. We spent time with Ted, and as always, went to a baseball game (Orioles) with Leslie. We also had the (pleasurable?) experience of letting Amy drive us around. She's only a few months away from getting her license, and while she's a great driver, I've already decided that Austin will teach our children to drive one day :)

The other really exciting thing about this summer was the visits of two of my girlfriends! Meredith took advantage of her school paying for her to come to a conference in Boston, and after she worked hard for a few days, she spent the weekend with us. We had a great time, and below is a picture of us in Rockport, a very cute artsy beach town.



Our other visitor for the summer was a BIG surprise to me. Austin and Catherine plotted behind my back and she flew up for a weekend visit. Apparently, Austin got the idea to have her come up as a surprise when we thought we wouldn't be able to go to Virginia this summer. HUGE thanks to both of them for loving me so well!




Austin and I in front of "Motif 1" apparently one of the most photographed/painted buildings in the US.

We're Home from India

*Disclaimer* This is a looong post. It also happens to be the same letter we're sending to all of our supporters, so you may read the same information twice*

We are safely home in Boston after spending the past two weeks in India. We are gradually readjusting to the time difference and still processing all that we saw and experienced during our trip. We have quickly become re-accustomed to regular toilets (instead of “squatties”) and being able to drink water straight out of the facet, a luxury we did not miss until it was gone. We are so thankful for the support from each one of you, and for your prayers while we were gone.

Our purpose in going to India was threefold. The first thing we wanted to do was to support Vikas, a missionary from our church. He was born and raised in India, spent several years in the States for college/work, and during that time became a Christian at Highrock, the church we now call home (www.highrock.org). Vikas has been back in India for about two years now. It was great to get a glimpse of his life in India, and a lot of fun to hang out with him.

Vikas is passionate about sharing Christianity with Indians while still holding onto the culture of Hinduism. We had the privilege of attending a Christian worship service that he is designing that keeps the culture of Hinduism central, while religiously teaching Christianity. A few examples of how to do this are to wear traditional clothing during services, sing traditional Hindu songs in which the words have been changed to have Christian meaning, and to take communion using a coconut, a food used widely in Hindu culture. Our goal was to provide encouragement to Vikas, which we hope we did. He certainly provided us with encouragement as well.

Our second purpose in going to India was to see what God is doing in India by partnering with two ministries in Bangalore. The first, India For Christ Missions (IFCM) is a church within the Evangelical Covenant Church, the denomination of the church we attend in Boston. This is also denomination that Austin is pursuing ordination through (www.covchurch.org). The second ministry we partnered with was Hope Orphanage, a connection we had through Vikas.

While we were in Bangalore, we stayed at IFCM church, where Pastor Paul and his wife Rebecca live. They, along with the others at the church, were the most hospitable people we have ever met. They cared for us very well while we were there, and helped us immerse ourselves into the Indian culture. Since beginning twenty years ago, IFCM has planted over 180 churches throughout India. We were able to visit several of those churches as we took a two-day trip out on the mission field. We traveled from Bangalore where we were based, which is in the state of Karnataka, east to the state of Andhra Pradesh. In the span of two days, we visited six of the churches IFCM has planted.

IFCM’s model as they plant churches is to first and foremost care for the children in the villages. They provide an after-school program six days a week, where they help the children with homework, provide skill training, and teach a bible lesson with songs. They also provide the children with a meal each day. While this may not sound like a lot, for several of the children we met, this meal provided by the church was the only daily meal they could count on.

The villages we visited were extremely poor. One of the heartbreaking stories we heard was of the deaths of three children in one village in the month before we visited. One of those deaths was because the church had taken a two-week break from the children’s programs because of school vacation. During that time, a child died of starvation. In another village the reality of the caste system was evident. In this village three different castes lived and each caste was divided from the others by walls within the village. However, at the church, people from all three castes came together. In yet another village, out of the 52 families who lived there, 50 had become Christians since the church was planted. While it was very hard to see the poverty and harsh living conditions of the villages, it was incredibly encouraging to see how the church was caring for these people—not only their spiritual needs, but their physical and emotional needs as well.

The other ministry that we spent time with was Hope Orphanage. I (Sara) had many preconceived notions about an Indian orphanage. I was expecting a rundown building with few, overworked, under qualified people caring for children who did not receive enough love, touch, or attention. However, the orphanage we worked with completely crushed those expectations. Hope Orphanage is run by a married couple named Obed and Chong. They are from the Indian state of Manipur, in northeastern India. For the past several years, Manipur has been facing civil wars, terrorism, and extreme conflict and violence. Many young children are being recruited to fight in these wars, and it is not safe. Many innocent people have been killed. Obed and Chong, along with their three biological children, have taken over thirty children ages 4-19 from Manipur and welcomed them into their home in Bangalore.

We had the opportunity to spend two afternoons with Obed, Chong and the children. It was another heartbreaking experience to hear the stories Obed shared about the fighting in Manipur, and how some of these children are the only survivors in their families. It was an extreme joy however, to get to know these kids. We spent most of our time playing soccer and cricket with them. We discovered that if becoming a pastor doesn’t work out for Austin, he quite possibly might have a future as an international cricket star! We were also able to visit a house Obed and Chong are building. In the past year, they have had to move the entire group four times (what landlord wants 35 children living in their building?!) In the next month or two, the house they are building should be completed, and they will not have to move again.

Obed and Chong did not focus on the hardships they have faced, or the terrible conflicts happening in their home village. Instead, they focused of the hope they have for their future, and for the future of each of their children. They all attend schools, where some are academically at the top of their class. Others we met were top in their region in different sporting events. There are many days when Obed and Chong do not know if they will have enough food to provide for everyone, or enough money to pay the bills. However, they are confident that God will provide for them whatever they need.

Our third and final purpose in visiting India was to begin to build lasting relationships with the people there. Already, Highrock is wanting to make this trip an annual occurrence, and keep in close contact with IFCM and Hope Orphanage, as well continue to support Vikas. While the trip was very hard in some ways, it was also incredibly encouraging to see the work that God is doing halfway around the world. There are currently twenty million Christians in India. While that sounds like so many, in reality, it is only 2% of the population of the country, which is just over one billion people. Our hope is to be able to continue to encourage the people we met while we were there, and support them in their hard work.

We are so thankful for your partnership in this as well, as you have supported us prayerfully and financially. If you have any more questions or want to hear more stories, please contact either of us.

Three Years Ago...

It's hard to believe, but Austin and I celebrated our Third Wedding Anniversary on June 4th! We're obviously a little slow in this posting, but it happened to be the day before we left for India. We had a fun night eating hot dogs and fried dough at our third Red Sox game! And they won, which is always a nice plus.



It was a rainy night, but ended up clearing up in time for a good game! We're doing a pretty good job of looking like locals now too!




Courtesy of Austin's dad, when we got home from India, we were treated to a lovely fancy dinner out, at a place called "Flora", near our apartment. No pictures from this however, as our camera batteries often seem to be dead when we want to take pictures. Overall, it was a wonderful anniversary!

Two Weeks!

It's been a while since I've posted, but in exactly two weeks, we are leaving for our trip to India! The beginning of this week consisted of both Austin and I getting three shots in our arms, taking our typhoid pills, and getting our prescription for malaria pills (which we don't need to start until right before we leave).

THANK YOU all for your support-- Austin and I met our financial goal quite a while ago and were so blessed by the generosity of our family and friends. Please continue to pray for us as we prepare to leave, and during our time in India from June 5-18th!

In other big news, I (Sara) officially received my Master's diploma from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary on May 10th. Even though I officially finished my degree in January, it was a fun day and it was really special to officially recognize all the hard work I put into seminary. It was also really special because my parents came up from Virginia to celebrate with us. We have no pictures to post due to Austin forgetting the camera. I still love him lots anyway, and just need to learn he'll probably do stuff like this for the next 50 or so years :)

Spring?

While it is offically springtime, it snowed yesterday in Boston. A strange snow/sleet/hail. The only upside was that it didn't last too long! I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I am more than ready for warm weather.

The other upside-- Austin and I will be in Texas in JUST two weeks for his cousin's wedding, and then staying a few extra days to visit with Erin, Ben, Abby and Claire. I just checked the 10-day forcast for Waco, and the daytime temps are in the 70's and 80's. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins, Oh My

Here are some pictures from our Boston sports experiences to go with the post from a few days ago!

The Infamous Fenway Park

We wouldn't be true Sox fans without our hats; At our second Sox game back in Fall 2006

Curt Schilling's Stats

We definitely had nose-bleed seats at this Boston Celtics game back in March or April of 2006.

With our friends, left to right: Meghan Smith, Me, Sally Wilson, Ian Wilson, and Derrick Smith (Austin must have been the cameraman on this shot).

Right before tip-off. At this point, the Celtics weren't very good, but we got to see Shaquille O'Neal play, which was pretty exciting!

Action shot!

The Celtics and Bruins play in the same arena, so this is the same place, now covered with ice.

Is a fight about to start? (We actually saw a few good ones!)

I somehow didn't realize that an ice hockey game would be cold-- I think I had goosebumps the entire game!


Final Score: 8-2. The Bruins lost. Not a typical score for a hockey game, but it was exciting to see that many goals scored!

Now the only thing left to check off our list is a Patriots game...

My Passport Arrived!

While I (Sara) have extensively travelled around the US (thanks mostly to my parents taking us on amazing camping trips as kids!) I have never travelled oversees. The times I have been to Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas, Passports were not needed, so I just never got around to getting one.

Until a few weeks ago. My Passport arrived in the mail this past Thursday, and while my picture looks slightly mug-shot-like, I was happy to get it.

June 5th-16th Austin and I will be travelling to Bangalore, India (See map above, towards the southern tip of the country)!! We are going with a team of other people from Highrock, our church, to partner with a man named Vikas. Vikas was born and raised in India, came to Boston for school, and became a Christian at Highrock while he was here. A few years ago he went back to India where he runs a shelter for homeless street youth. Our team will be working closely with Vikas to encourage and support him, and to help with the everyday running of his ministry. We also will work with the Evangelical Covenant Church (the denomination Highrock is in, and Austin is pursuing ordination through) in India. I am also really hoping we get to do some orphanage work. Fortunately for the sake of my emotions, Americans are not allowed to adopt Indian babies, or else I might want to bring them all home!

The details about the trip are still pretty vague and up to us as a team to decide. However, we would love your prayers starting now! Austin is going to be the leader of our trip (a role he just found out about last week) so as we prepare we would specifically love prayers for:

-Austin's preparation to pastor this trip

-Both of us spiritually as we prepare

-For fundraising to come easily, as we need to raise a lot of money

We will let you know more as we find out more details!

Boston Sports

In the past two and a half years that Austin and I have lived here, we've made it to two Red Sox games, a Boston Celtics (basketball) game, and this past week went to our first Boston Bruins (ice hockey) game. I bought the Bruins tickets for Austin's birthday, and we had a fun night of dinner in the city followed by the game.

We've decided a few things about Boston fans-- they are often angry and also obsessed with sports. While we both prefer college sports, it's been fun experiencing Boston fans at professional sports. I (Sara) also really enjoyed my first experience at a hockey game. The Bruins ended up losing 8-2 (Wow!) but that meant we saw lots of goals, and a few good fights!

I'll post some pictures later, but our camera batteries need to charge...

PS: Congratulations to the Wilson's on Clemson's win on Sunday... Good game!

Where are you Summer?

Friday morning I woke up to, yet again, MORE snow. The first two winters we spent in Massachusetts were fairly mild, but this winter has been very snowy. In fact, we got 27 inches of snow JUST in December, which was the most snow in December in 41 years! It just keeps coming though, and at times, winter seems to have no end in sight.

This is a familiar sight over the past few months (our Outback, before we dig it out)

Compare this picture of our apartment building with the picture in the first post-- what a difference!

We spent this past weekend in New Hampshire with the college and young adult groups from our church, on a "Relationship" retreat. I (Sara) don't have any pictures, because I often bring our camera places and forget to take pictures. This weekend, I do have an excuse however, because I was sick and spent most of the free time either coughing or sleeping.

The retreat was a fun time to get to know people better, hear our pastor's talks about relationships, and play in the snow (well, Austin did). One of our favorite New England sports is "Broomball" which is basically ice hockey without skates, and brooms instead of hockey sticks. I wish I had pictures, but I slept through the whole thing...

First Post (and here's to many more!)

Welcome to the Calhoun's Blog family and friends!

Austin and I decided to give cave and join the club. Well, I (Sara) wanted to start a Blog because I enjoy reading those our friends have, and Austin hesitantly agreed, as he does to many of my ideas! While we don't have anything too new or too exciting happening in our lives, we thought this would be a nice way to keep those of you who live far away updated on our everyday lives in MA. Please feel free to post any comments, and we'll try to update regularly!

For those of you we haven't spoken to in a while, here's what's going on: In July, we moved from South Hamilton, MA to Arlington, MA which has been great. South Hamilton is where Gordon Conwell's main campus is, and while we miss our friends up there, it's been nice being a more urban setting. We also have a little more space, as our second apartment is a two-bedroom. We chose Arlington because it's the town Highrock (our church) is in, and we were lucky enough to find an apartment that is only a few minutes walk away!

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-- our home for the first two and a half years of our marriage!

The front of our new apartment building in Arlington, MA. We LOVE visitors, so please come any time!We are both busy, but learning that's just how life goes :) Sara is working full-time at Family Continuity, a non-profit counseling agency. She loves her job, and is excited to be an offical clinician after finishing her Master's in Counseling in January 2008. She is especially enjoying having her nights and weekends homework free!

Austin is busy interning at Highrock, helping mostly with the college group and the M.A.D. (Make a Difference) Social Justice ministry. He also has had the opportunity to preach twice at Highrock, and is gaining a lot of experience through that! At the risk of embarrassing Austin, the sermon he preached in January was great, and if you're interested, you can find a link to listen to it at http://www.highrock.org/. He transferred from Gordon-Conwell's South Hamilton campus to the Boston campus which is a lot more convienient. Boston's campus also emphasizes Urban Ministry, which he is excited about. Austin is also working part-time at Banana Republic in Boston-- not his top choice as he is a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy, but it's been a huge blessing!

Exciting things are also happening in our families. In December, Austin's sister Emily got engaged to her boyfriend David, and they are planning their wedding for this coming winter. We are so excited for them, and honored that they asked us both to be part of their wedding!

Since

I don't have a picture of Emily and David, here's one of Emily and I, taken in DC last Christmas.

Exciting things are also happening on Sara's side of the family! My (Sara's) sister Emily qualified for the Olympic Trials in the Marathon, and will be competing in Boston in April. Sara's parents are also coming up for Sara's dad to run the Boston Marathon, so we'll keep you updated on that. Our brother-in-law Mark came home from Iraq in early December, so it was great that all of us could be together for Christmas this year!!

For Christmas, we went to Texas, to stay with Sara's sister Erin, brother-in-law Ben, and our nieces Abby and Claire. We all travelled to Texas because baby Claire was born on December 18th, so they couldn't travel. We were so excited to welcome another person into our family!!

Baby Claire loves Uncle Austin, and Abby wasn't as scared of him this time as she was when we saw her in June!

My mom, Abby and Austin at the fun Children's Musuem in Waco, TX.


We also realized Abby likes to ham it up for the camera. As soon as you say "Abby, I want to take a picture" she gets a HUGE smile on her face!

Thanks for reading, and we'll post more soon!