There and Back again.... a Caleb story :)

I admit it... I'm shameless... but you already knew that :).

Ahhh.... I'm sitting here and listening to 'Hobbit' music while I contemplate my next line. I have my amazing journal at my side and a well lit room that has just the right mood for contemplation and reflection.

Our gift this year from the East Asia team :)

This story has three separate parts..kind of like some other stories we know and love :).

Waiting in Beijing before our last flight to Chiang Mai

Part 1: A.E.R.C. and other fun acronyms :)

Thailand was a marvelous success and this first conference started the adventure off right! I should have pictures... but I don't. So here are some made up ones that sort of help you understand the initial adventure.

The Gem Gallery 

Tiger Kingdom

Orchid Farm

So we did some nice touring before our first day... it was fun to see some new things. The first conference flew by! We had about 12 kids and we did Walkabouts and teaching and 20/20 s and art and much more... but the highlight for me was getting to have dinner with this amazing family! I got to know these people on my last adventure across the sea and it was so neat getting to see them again on this one.

One hilarious evening during this conference we went out to dinner at a local place and I had one of the worst meals of my life. Fortunately I did not get sick... but I did get to see Nadia laugh more then I ever have before. I ordered what I thought was roasted chicken... it was not what I would ever have expected.

So much laughter! 

One of the really unusual and neat things we got to do was go ice skating... I'm terrible at this but I had to try anyway since I was in Thailand and needed the story for my memoirs :).

This conference had a strong focus on the arts and this picture shows you the final art project that the whole group worked on. Every kid and every adult made a feather. Mine has a Superman symbol on it and is green... see if you can spot it :).

It was a great joy getting to know a new group and seeing my amazing friends (Nadia and Michal) do such a great job working with the kids and going with the flow! They are truly amazing youth workers! We had so much fun. We even got up early many days and worked out together, running up hotel stairs and then getting a much deserved breakfast. We practiced encouraging each other daily and that became one of the highlights of the trip. This conference flew by and before we knew it we were at our next location... 

Part 2: Trauma Healing

We did a brief Trauma Healing workshop? or something, during the weekend between conferences. We left A.E.R.C. on Friday at 5 and started our next thing at around 6:30 or so. There was a nice dinner in between :). Any ways... it made for a very long week, but God was so good and gave us what we needed. We finished up on Saturday after a nice 12 hour adventure through the 5 core lessons and were grateful for a day of rest on Sunday. 

Some art I did during the work shop :)

Sunday was very restful. We met up with Sami, who had flown in the night before. I tried to get him at the airport, but due to bad information on the flight arrival time, missed him coming off the plane. He had his own adventure... but it led him back to us the next morning. We ended our day shopping... that was so great :|. Okay, well... what was great was the food court where I had 2 of the best chicken wraps that I've ever had! This place was called "Walking Street" and had amazing prices and very unique stuff. 

Part 3: Suan Bua 

We ended up staying with the Cochrans for an extra night. By the time all was said and done we realized that we didn't need to be up at the next place quite as early as we thought and so enjoyed another day in, what I fondly called, Rivendell. Delicious food and amazing rest that helped these tired travelers on their quest :). Here is a picture of their house. 

Our final conference was so fun! We really have fine-tuned our schedule and activities and have found what I like to call the sweet spot! Here are some pictures that I find wonderful and hilarious. From fun hikes to quiet time havens to 'Pimp my Ride'. There is, alas, too much to share... so some highlights to end the blog... but after the pictures. For safety reasons I won't show pictures of the kids that we served... but, I promise we served some really amazing kids! 

At a wonderful restaurant holding my imaginary wife. Unfortunately Diane wasn't with me this time! 

From 2015

I loved getting to sleep so close to my cousin Sami :)

The amazing art of one of our students! 

I walked around during my Quiet Times but always ended up back here :)

Something about this feels like it could be a sermon illustration... 

The kids coming back to the room after their time with the Lord 

My cousin's spot! 

Nice wheels! 

The view from a local cafe... just up the hill.... waaaay up

A pond we found on an epic Sunday hike! 

Riding elephants :) 

I have no words... 

Highlights!

A member of our team lost their passport in a taxi when we first arrived. If they didn't ask you for that in order to let you check into the hotel, I suppose that it would be gone forever. We raced back to the airport and found the exact taxi driver before we even parked. Passport found and crisis averted... why? BECAUSE YOU WERE PRAYING FOR US AND GOD LISTENS! Thank you for your prayers that protected us from things we couldn't even imagine!

Seeing my cousin live fully in the spirit. The things he shared every day in devotions with the kids and throughout the conference were beautiful! He is processing the loss of his sister and God is doing amazing things in his heart!

I really enjoyed teaching a workshop one afternoon. It basically turned into an hour long question and answer time and it was really fun. I also enjoyed giving the charge to our departing seniors.

Playing soccer most evenings!

Seeing kids' lives changed! I got some really neat notes.  One that really stood out was from a teen who said that through this time they had decided to make Christianity their faith too and not just something they believed because of their parents. Another one shared how this time had encouraged them to stop doing some really damaging behavior. Another teen who had struggled with depression was given hope to keep pressing on because of the impact they have on the group. We lost a teen to suicide recently and seeing how that impacted us as leaders really opened this teen's eyes.

Thank you for your prayers and your support! God used you to send us and protect us and support us and that makes you a part of all the successes and good work that God is doing through us... because it's also through you! I'm so grateful for you!

It's good to be home. It's good to be mauled by my kids and not Tigers :). It's nice to be able to serve and support a wife that has given up so much for me. It's good to be back in the office again. There is no place like home... but in a way, Thailand has become a home away from home for me. Ten years is a long time to go back to a place.

Thank you for helping me get there and back again!

Does anyone else feel like it's really 11 pm when the clock says 10 am? Never mind....

Blessings,

Caleb

 If you want to support what I do a little or a lot, on a one time basis or a recurring basis, click on the tab "Supporting the Work" at the top of the page and sign up for Chase Quickpay. You can then send your donation to HCLC - Caleb Robbins Ministry using my e-mail address caleb_robbins@sil.org. If you would like further instructions on setting that up please click on the link at the top right of the page called How to give. 

Chase QuickPay has changed some of their rules. If this option no longer works for you please let me know and I will work with you to find another solution. Thanks for hanging in there with me through all the annoying changes in how I can receive support! Your support means a great deal to me! 

Another way to donate to my ministry is via check. If you write a check to "Holy Cross Lutheran Church" and put "Caleb Robbins Ministry" in the memo line it will get deposited into my ministry account.

The address is:

Holy Cross Lutheran Church 

4400 W Arkansas Ln, Arlington, TX 76016

Diane is my beautiful wife and the mother of my precious children Creed 9, Asher 7, Liam 5, Echo already in heaven, Bella 2, and Serenity 6 months.

Whew... life is a whirlwind!

Ha! This Blog is called Candid Caleb and so I don't feel bad having these pictures in such a random order. Let's just say that things happened in all different stages and it's kind of melting together as I look back. 

First off! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

Find my creative and silly children below. They like to make hammocks and such in their bedrooms and then stuff them with all their stuffed animals and then themselves. I got so tired of movies and video games, and lo and behold when you remove those things, really cool life starts to happen. 

Bella just really rocks those shades... also Asher, Liam and Bella made up some game with a blanket where you have to pull the person on the blanket all the way back to your bedroom while they resist... yeah Asher won :). But, they all had fun! 

  

Our family has inherited a tradition from the Gebauers where we light candles and talk about our relationship with the Lord. We have a symbolic Christ-candle in the center of the table and light our own candles from His. It's a time for reflection and hope for the future. I really enjoy hearing my kids talk about their love for the Lord and their heart to know Him even more!  

We celebrated Christmas with my family on Christmas Eve. My sister wanted to get some great pics and so we did. Here is one of all of us that a ghost took... I mean Cameras don't need people... I mean... well never mind.


So this past month has been relentless fun :). We went to see our friends the Sieks down in Austin and also I went to meet some of the team that is going to Thailand. It was great! The trip was quick and we got back Monday around noon and then kicked off our MK Hobbit/Lord of the Rings marathon at 3 pm. We did two movies on Monday with a delicious spaghetti dinner in between. Then we did the rest the other four evenings. It was fun connecting with the kids and also a lot of fun watching those movies again!

Have I mentioned before that I live with weird people? I love these amazing weirdos. Yeah... they do this when I leave. I have no idea what crazy stuff they will get up to with underwear and who knows what else while I'm gone this time. 

Here is a picture of my two sons singing in their school program. Good luck finding them... yeah even I can't figure out where they are... maybe I need a better camera phone. 

Here are some pictures from the MK Christmas party this year. Needless to say, it was amazing and huge and so fun. Three years ago we had maybe 20 kids come to this... we doubled that this year! It's so cool to see the group grow, MAN! I really LOVE these kids! 

We went all out in decorating our house this year. I think the electric bill was more than my trip to Thailand, but the winter wonderland, mysterious Christmas joy for my kids is well worth it. Okay, never! This is a house that we found in my cousin's neighborhood. Yes, imagine being their neighbor and feeling so inadequate with your decorations! This picture does a poor job of reflecting the sheer spectacle of it all! Anyways, really fun times. 

Speaking of cousins, my amazing cousin David got Diane and me tickets to see Josh Garrels for my Birthday. It was his Christmas tour and it was fantastic!

I don't have pictures of it all... there is too much! What a season! It was good to have some time off, but I'm glad to be back at work for a short time before I head off again to Thailand. I leave this Friday and get back next month. I'm excited! 

Diane and I just finished up a Trauma Healing course. She took it and I helped to teach it. This was planned for awhile ago but was complicated by the unexpected death of my dear cousin Laura Davis. On New Years day she went to be with the Lord. My wife brought in the New Year by her side in a hospital room full of family. Laura hung on to see the new year and then headed home to celebrate with her heavenly father. We have done two memorials and they both came during the Trauma Healing workshop. Diane spoke at the second one among many others. She and Laura were really close and this passing is very painful. I'm so proud of the family coming around Andrew and his three kids and lifting them up. How do you fill a void like this? How do you go on in the face of so much pain and hardship? You go on together... you let God heal and comfort... but it takes time and many tears and much grief. Laura, you will be missed.  You lived a full life, I'm sorry it wasn't a very long one. I'm glad to have known you and I'm glad to know that I will see you again! 

Please pray for my family while I'm gone! For safety and health. For help with the kids and for things to work properly! 

Please pray for me and my team as we travel. For safety and health, for fun adventures. Pray that we can be a blessing and that God is glorified. That His love working in us then works in others. 

I love you all so much! Thanks for being a part of my adventure and my life with its ups and downs! Thanks for your support both financially and spiritually! Your relationship is priceless and I'm so grateful for you. I couldn't do this without you and I wouldn't want to. 

Blessings on you all! 

Caleb

 If you want to support what I do a little or a lot, on a one time basis or a recurring basis, click on the tab "Supporting the Work" at the top of the page and sign up for Chase Quickpay. You can then send your donation to HCLC - Caleb Robbins Ministry using my e-mail address caleb_robbins@sil.org. If you would like further instructions on setting that up please click on the link at the top right of the page called How to give. 

Chase QuickPay has changed some of their rules. If this option no longer works for you please let me know and I will work with you to find another solution. Thanks for hanging in there with me through all the annoying changes in how I can receive support! Your support means a great deal to me! 

Another way to donate to my ministry is via check. If you write a check to "Holy Cross Lutheran Church" and put "Caleb Robbins Ministry" in the memo line it will get deposited into my ministry account.

The address is:

Holy Cross Lutheran Church 

4400 W Arkansas Ln, Arlington, TX 76016

Diane is my beautiful wife and the mother of my precious children Creed 9, Asher 7, Liam 5, Echo already in heaven, Bella 2, and Serenity 6 months.

Thankful Indeed!

We had such a great Thanksgiving this year! It was relaxed and delicious and filled with great football and friends and a special time of thankfulness for what the Lord has done!

Monday: My wife got up early and made me French toast! Then my cousin David came over in the morning and we sat around the fire and talked for hours. Then we celebrated my birthday with our famous Wendy's triple burger heart attack special. In the evening at MK youth group we did a worship night, where we sing worship songs and then take time to share what God is doing in our lives. That was a fantastic end to a wonderful birthday!

Tuesday: We had a handful of MKs over to watch Fiddler on the Roof. What a fantastic movie! That was a sweet time!

Wednesday: We went to the zoo with my brother in law's family! It was an amazing zoo experience. We were able to see so many neat things and the weather was spectacular so the animals were out and about.

So as you can see the week was already great... and then Thanksgiving made it even better!

The Saturday before this amazing week was our Mission Arlington service project with the MKs. We had a great time sorting food and moving it around.

Earlier that morning was the memorial for my Poppy (Grandfather). It was a sweet time remembering him and Nana and celebrating their life and contribution to God's Kingdom! They are truly inspiring.

The night before that, just our family got together and shared stories and had a wonderful party to celebrate Poppy! It was just the few of us that comprise the Robbins clan... just the few 30 plus that could make it not including kids. Four of my wonderful MKs watched all the kids while we shared stories and enjoyed visiting with family that we don't often get to see. 

Here you see Liam enjoying his Thanksgiving feast at school. This happens the week before Thanksgiving. I love that precious smile!

Our neighbor passed away a couple years ago and when that happened, the little boy that used to live there left. Well, Cole was back for a visit and it was great seeing him again. All the kids got together and played for quite some time. We have such a cool neighborhood! 

Thanks to the wonderful community of now adult MKs, I finally got my house painted on the outside. Here we are finishing up the last bit. We started this project in the summer and it feels good to have it done. I love working with and keeping in touch with these wonderful people. Some I've known since 2007 when I started this ministry 9 years ago.

It has been such a blessings and help to have my parents around. They are so amazing with my kids... my kids are so crazy about them! Mommy, Daddy, can you leave and have Grandma and Grandpa come and watch us? Yeah... we hear that all the time.

They are leaving in January, sniff, sniff, and will be missed. I'm so glad that we get to spend Christmas together!

My heart is full! God is good! I'm refreshed from all this time with friends and family. It was great getting to see so many people this last week who normally aren't in the area. My mother-in-law and brother-in-law Ethan are also in town. This time is fleeting and precious and I've lived long enough to know not to take it for granted. God is good! 

I'm excited for the Christmas season to get in full swing. Yesterday all the decorating got done and now I get to just relax.... ha ha ha. I enjoy reflecting on my Lord and Savior and marveling at His willingness to come and join the human race and then die for it. Wow! Jesus offers us abundant life, and living that abundant life, full of gratitude and love for Him and Father and others is what it's all about. 

Thankful for you, thankful that you are a part of my receiving love from God and a part of it being complete in my life as I get to share the Love he gives me with you! I can't express how grateful I am for your support and kindness to my family! You make this ministry happen, it wouldn't without you! You are a blessing and I pray that you too will be blessed! 

Please pray for... 

I need to raise about $1200 more for my trip to Thailand! 

For a great end of the year with MK! 

For preparations for my trips next year! 

Praise God for... 

Healthy family! 

Blessings, 

Caleb 

 If you want to support what I do a little or a lot, on a one time basis or a recurring basis, click on the tab "Supporting the Work" at the top of the page and sign up for Chase Quickpay. You can then send your donation to HCLC - Caleb Robbins Ministry using my e-mail address caleb_robbins@sil.org. If you would like further instructions on setting that up please click on the link at the top right of the page called How to give. 

Chase QuickPay has changed some of their rules. If this option no longer works for you please let me know and I will work with you to find another solution. Thanks for hanging in there with me through all the annoying changes in how I can receive support! Your support means a great deal to me! 

Another way to donate to my ministry is via check. If you write a check to "Holy Cross Lutheran Church" and put "Caleb Robbins Ministry" in the memo line it will get deposited into my ministry account.

The address is:

Holy Cross Lutheran Church 

4400 W Arkansas Ln, Arlington, TX 76016

Diane is my beautiful wife and the mother of my precious children Creed 9, Asher 7, Liam 5, Echo already in heaven, Bella 2, and Serenity 6 months.