New Horizons and Crossing Borders

May: How is it May already?!  The past few months have gone by so slowly and yet it always feels fast in hindsight.  I think we have all seen in these past months a renewal of what is uncertain and what is certain.  Often to my chagrin change is certain.  Sometimes they are welcome changes and sometimes they are things that make us feel insecure as they are things we placed great expectations on.  It is a lifelong endeavor of mine to embrace the adventure of the ever changing and remember the security of an unchanging God.  It has again been some time since I have written so I will try to catch you all up on the happenings of our family.

Last time I mentioned I was able to have my procedure in California at the end of the summer.  A huge praise report is that we did in fact qualify for the hospital’s financial aid program and even received a reimbursement check for part of the deposit we had paid on the day of the procedure.  I was shocked and grateful.  We have also continued in my fertility treatments, but have not been able to have another pregnancy as of yet.  Because of the current Covid-19 situation all of my appointments were cancelled and we have very limited options left by way of further treatments. Thank you for your prayers in this area of our lives.  It has been a long and painful journey, but for those very reasons we know more clearly the faithfulness and transforming power of our God.  It’s the painful situations that are often the lessons that go the deepest, and are the most transforming.

The fall semester ended and brought with it a grand graduation celebration.  It’s such a joy to see them finish and yet still hard to face more goodbyes.  I was able to be involved in our last group of thesis defenses and even participate with the student that I advised.  It was such a treat to see him articulate his understanding of the scripture so well.

It's such a privilege to drop students off at the airport, but it is hard that the goodbyes come every semester.

Visiting students and graduating students.  I love these guys.

My thesis student did so well.  I'm so proud of him!

My first semester almost roommate who finished her degree while battling a brain tumor.  Two Hannahs are better than one!

For winter break we were able to return to the States as planned while I worked, and we visited both of our families.  It was a special treat that so many of my siblings were able to come for Christmas.  It is an extremely rare occasion when we can all be together, and we are learning to embrace the times of partial gatherings instead of dwelling on the sadness that all can’t be there.  Well, maybe that’s just me, but all that to say it was a delightful time with the west coast family and some of the east coast family.

One of many Scheller family Christmas photos.

Visiting the Christmas market in Brataslava with Luke and Amanda.

Meeting our new nephew Gideon.

Visiting Jared's family in Idaho.

The Spring semester kicked off well and we welcomed returning students and some new faces as well. As we have finished off our three-year accredited program and have continued the two-year CCBC (Calvary Chapel Bible College) program and one-year School of Mission we, as a staff, continue to seek what is God’s vision for the school.  We started out the semester with over half of our students enrolled in the School of Mission.  I have continued as the TA for this program as well as grading for our correspondence students.  Jared has continued with the IT work, but has taken on the additional role of registrar.  Our usual registrar (who just happens to be the lovely wife of my brother Luke) gave birth to their daughter in April, and is taking some time to adjust to her new role as full-time caretaker to a new little life.  In addition, Jared is also getting more involved in the administrative side of the school including logistics, and finances.

One of our community lunches with the staff and students at the dorm.

Getting to meet my new niece Eleanor.

All seemed to be as expected until the month of March came and brought with it two pivotal events.  At the end of February, it was shared with me by our director that the school will be moving to the country of Georgia.  There are many reasons for this.  Most of which include an open door for sharing the gospel in countries that have been considered mostly closed until now.  There is a missionary family there that has been there for several years, and they have planted a church.  More and more in recent years the country has become more open to Westerners and tourists and it is easy for many nationalities to travel from the middle east.  It seems as if God is opening a door for the school to move further east, and we were asked to go with them.  Jared and I talked and prayed about it and decided we would go as well.  We went on a short trip at the beginning of March just to see the city and spend some time with the pastor there and his family.  We feel God is leading us in this next step and want you guys to be up to date as we need prayer in everything.  In light of this decision we will no longer be pursuing permanent residency here in Hungary.  Jared was able to get a new visa for this year and mine expires in January.  We also are no longer pursuing employment here.  We will see what the Lord brings in Georgia.

The biggest orthodox cathedral in Tbilisi built in 2004.

Just as we were processing through this rather large change in ministry for our family the global pandemic became known to the world.  We were able to complete our second block-week class via video call to the student housing.  Jared and I were able to go to the students every day, and be involved with Dan Finfrock’s first online class.  After some time evaluating our options and much prayer and discussion it was decided the best course of action was to send our students back to their home countries, and to continue the semester in an online format.  Most of them were able to return safely, save two that have been able to be socially isolated in their current housing situation.  After some time of regrouping and allowing the students to acclimate to their home cultures we continued online.  We now have one more full week of classes with our zoom graduation coming up next week.

As with most of us in the world, the current global situation has made us reconfigure our summer plans.  The move has affected them as well, as you can imagine.  We will be moving at the end of August, Lord willing.  Our first semester in Georgia will be fall 2020.  We are still not sure if we will both go to California for a time, only me, or neither of us based on borders, flights, and government regulations.  Only God knows how it will come to pass and we trust Him.

Thank you to all for your support financially and in prayer.  We are excited to see what God will do with the school in Georgia and yet it is so hard to say goodbye to so many dear friends, ministries close to our hearts, and the country of Hungary, which we love so much.  Again, we see that if we didn’t care it wouldn’t hurt so much and yet if we didn’t care then what are we doing?

Prayer Points:

1. For the students as they finish out the semester

2. For the staff as we finish out the semester and prepare for not only moving the school but our households as well

3. For God’s guidance in what to do for the summer

4. For direction with my medical care, and to ultimately be submitted to God’s will in the all things

If you would like to participate in the ministry our family is doing in Hungary all our contact information is below.

Tax deductible support with end of the year receipt can be mailed to:

Called Christians, Inc

P.O. Box 90876

Albuquerque, NM 87199

Be sure to put the following on the check memo line: Jared Scheller

Monthly direct withdrawal is available as well.  contact me for more info if you are interested in this.

Paypal is also available at rn_psalms139@sbcglobal.net

Our Mailing Address is:

Jared and Hannah Scheller

Német Útca 13 IV Emelet 6

Budapest, Hungary 1084

You can also follow us on facebook and instagram @stellarschellers

November update

I realize I have not sent an update out since June.  We had such a blessed and packed full summer.  After I wrote in June Jared was able to spend three weeks helping his family move from Oregon to Idaho.  I was able to join them in Idaho for a week and get familiar with their new town and home.  Later that same month we were able to spend a week in the mountains of California with my family.

Celebrating Jared's birthday with his parents in Idaho.

Reading to some of the Rees nieces at our favorite mountain getaway.

Family time was sweet!

Visiting with two of my cousins in California.

In August after a lot of prayer and phone calls I was able to get the medical procedure I’ve been trying to arrange for the past year.  Praise the Lord all went well and there were no complications.  As we are cash-pay, I was able to apply for the financial assistance program they had available at the hospital where I had the procedure.  We have not heard yet wether or not we qualified.  Please be praying for this.  As you can imagine it can get very expensive.

Praise Jesus that He provided lots of over-time and double-time at the hospital in California over the summer.  We were able to cover my medical bills and the extra we needed for life in Hungary for now.  We are praying for provision of either through more support or more jobs in Hungary.

November is here and has brought brisk weather with it.  We finally turned on our heater a couple of days ago and have been making soup all week.  Because of various circumstances this fall is a shorter semester and here we are just four weeks away from it’s completion.  It has been decided that this will be our last semester graduating students from the accredited degree program and I have been advising our only on-campus thesis student.  He is doing a great job and I look forward to participating in his defense at the end of the month.  I am seeing many ways that God is allowing me to use my experience with higher education for His purposes in my life.  Another one of those is an opportunity to teach English online.  I am almost done with the process of applying and hoping this could be a way to make-up for some of the shortfall in our support.  I will continue to look for other opportunities in nursing here in Hungary if the Lord provides open doors.  It is difficult to find something that I am able to do part-time and still leave enough flex in the schedule for ministry needs at the Bible college.

Going out to explore Budapest with new students and returning ones.

Jared and I both are involved in grading and setting up several classes this semester.  I am helping with the School of Mission, as usual, as well as filling the TA role for our Biblical Mission class and Intro to Biblical Methods.  Being the TA for School of Mission involves many things such as preparing them for their 40-day outreach, grading, oral exams, and of course baking goodies.  Jared is the TA for our Bible overview classes as well as Romans, along with his usual IT duties involving websites, graphics, phones, and whatever else breaks and needs fixing.

Fellowshipping with students in our apartment.

Phil and Joy Metzger share with our School of Mission students about sharing the gospel in a culture other than your own.

Spending some time on the river with one of our new students Lyndsie.

Last month outreach teams of students went to Cyprus, Romania, England, Ukraine, and another city here in Hungary.  This past Friday they were able to share with the school about the different ministries they were involved with.  From Sunday school, orphanages, disabled kids, soup kitchen for the elderly, youth groups, church services, evangelism, and English classes it was such a blessing to hear of all they did and saw.  Please pray for them these next few weeks as it is often difficult to get back into the homework and classes after all of their trips.

Jared and I were able to take a trip of our own while the students were away.  Jared was asked to help with a work project at the conference center in Austria so we decided to make a trip out of it.  First we were able to visit some former students in Bled, Slovenia.  On our way to the conference center we stopped at church in Spittal, Austria to visit and then on to the conference center for a few days.  After the job was done we were able to spend a few days in Salzburg before heading back to Budapest.  It was so nice to be away together and spend time talking, thinking, feeling the breeze on our faces while there were no pressing matters at hand.  It has been a difficult year, full of changes that still continue, but we are so thankful for the provision of time to learn and grow together.

Meeting up with some former students on their boat in Bled, Slovenia.

Seeing Millstatt lake in Austria from above.

The Calvary Chapel Conference Center in Austria.

Salt mine tour in Germany.

Please be praying for our students as they are all finishing out their classes and making decisions about what comes next.  Pray for God to speak clearly and for them to continue to grow in their relationships with each other as well as their families back home.  I think we all can identify (and still do) with the uncomfortable process that is becoming an adult and learning how to be an adult and yet still an obedient, and loving child.

We are finalizing our class schedule and getting ready for the spring semester.  Pray for wisdom in this as we seek God’s plan for the school, classes, and students.  We are in a phase of renewal and refining.  I’m excited to be a part of it.  I am already in contact with new students coming next semester and look forward to meeting them in person in just a few short months.

Jared is renewing his visa next year, after which we are looking at the possibility of applying for permanent residency.  This will allow us to work and have healthcare benefits here.  We are seeking the Lord’s direction in this process.

We will be in California for the months of December and January, while I return to work at the hospital, as well as visit with family and friends.  We would love to see you!  We will also spend a week in January with Jared’s family.

        We are so thankful for all of your prayers and support we would not be where we are without you.  Please let us know what is going on in all of your parts of the world.  We want to pray for you as well.  God is working his grace in all of the changes and difficulties we face.

Prayer needs:

1. Financial provision for our family.
2. For the students and staff to finish the semester with strength, perseverance, integrity, and love.
3. The process of applying for visas and residency if possible.
4. For the planning and execution of next semester.  For clear communication and smooth transitions for the staff, continuing students, and incoming students.

If you would like to participate in the ministry our family is doing in Hungary all our contact information is below.

Tax deductible support with end of the year receipt can be mailed to:

Called Christians, Inc

P.O. Box 90876

Albuquerque, NM 87199

Be sure to put the following on the check memo line: Jared Scheller

Monthly direct withdrawal is available as well.  contact me for more info if you are interested in this.

Paypal is also available at rn_psalms139@sbcglobal.net

Our Mailing Address is:

Jared and Hannah Scheller

Német Útca 13 IV Emelet 6

Budapest, Hungary 1084

You can also follow us on facebook and instagram @stellarscheller

Spring News Brings Fall Changes

     I have thought about starting a new blog update several times in the past few months, and it just hasn't happened yet.  We were quite busy this semester and the last month has brought a lot of changes and new things.  Christmas break was great in California with my parents.  I was able to get a lot of hours at the hospital.  We spent a week with Jared's parents in Oregon.  They will be moving to Idaho this year after his dad retires.  My brother, who has been doing ministry with us at the college for the last few years, was married in January to our correspondence registrar, and they have settled into married life in Budapest.

    This semester I started teaching English lessons to a family of three girls to help cover our costs and it has been really challenging and fun at the same time.  I picked up another English student along the way and it has been a new challenge.  Native speaking English teachers here are paid more than most professions, interestingly, and it has been a way for me to make more connections with the community.  I was not able to take a Hungarian course this semester because there was not a class available when I had the time, but I am continuing to learn by interacting with the community and my neighbors on a day to day basis.  We have several neighbors in our building that I have been able to talk to more and more.  If you could be praying for our next-door neighbor Éva and her husband that would mean so much.  He had a major heart attack a few months ago and has been in the ICU on a ventilator.  I was not able to understand some of the details because the conversation was all in Hungarian, but I know he was in a bad way and has a long way to go to recover.  I have gathered that they are Catholic from our conversations, and she was very grateful when I mentioned we would be praying for them.

   The students went and came back from their 10-day outreaches.  We had teams go to Spain, Romania, Ukraine, Ireland, and a city here in Hungary close to Budapest.  We have had some really good reports since they have returned, and are praying that God would continue to use what they were able to see and do, to impact their hearts and lives.

    I am still heavily involved in the academics of the onsite and offsite students.  I'm grading thirteen offsite classes and three onsite classes.  The last two weeks of school in May, I ran our School of Mission classes as the regular teacher was speaking in California at a conference.  I hosted the class at our apartment and we usually make it really relaxed and homey.  I bake something and always have coffee and tea while we talk about what it means to live out the gospel and plant churches in a culture other than our own.  One of our former students who I mentored for two years came through Budapest to visit, on her way to Russia as a full-time missionary.  It was so refreshing to see her and hear what God has been doing in heart and pray for her as she is being sent out.

    During the semester, we found out that the school lost its accreditation and the church can no longer afford to pay for the process to keep it current.  We are working on reacquiring it so that the current students enrolled in this program can obtain their diplomas.  It is very unfortunate that we can no longer offer this program.  It has been a difficult process notifying the students, and then figuring out where to go from here.  We were also able to take some time to stop, pray, and reassess how God would have us minister to these young people who want to grow in their knowledge of their creator and learn more about His plans for their life and their ministry.

    Pam Markey will be our new director going forward with the two-year program and School of Mission.  She has been the director of the School of Mission for over ten years and Jared and I both look forward to supporting her in this new role

    Jared is busy as usually taking care of all the tech needs of the college and the conference center in Vajta.  He has been busy uninstalling, reinstalling, and upgrading the phone systems.  Immediately following graduation, he also coordinated moving the office into the church in order to save on costs.

     We are now back to California till August 24th so I can get some more hours in at the hospital, as we still don't have enough support for us to be in Hungary year-round.  We are praying that maybe the Lord would provide more support or more work for me here to make it possible for us not to need to leave quite so much.  It's all in the Lord's hands.

   We are so thankful for all of you who take the time to pray for us, financially support us, and for all of your encouraging words.  It has been a difficult semester full of change, but we know where ever we are on this earth it is not our forever home.  Blessings to you all.

Our new director Pamela Markey and her daughter Kristen.

Our dear friends' children who we got to spend the week with.

A dear staffer and friend Nichole.

Nichole's husband Jon baptized their daughter Lila this spring.

Other staffers Annie and Kat, both dear friends.  Kat was also my roommate during my first semester.

We gladly received a wonderful visiter, Pati Sheets.

Out missionary leadership class for the spring.

Took a nice hike in the Hungarian hills to celebrate the end of semester.

On our way back to the States for the summer.

 Prayer requests:

1. For a refreshing time in California and Idaho with our family, friends, and supporting church.
2. For endurance and favor for Hannah as she picks up full-time hours at the hospital over the summer.
3. For more support.  We are still about $1000 short each month on the support we need to stay in Hungary.  Please contact us if you would like to join us financially in what God is doing through us in Hungary.
4. For our neighbor Eva's husband to have a quick recovery from his heart attack.
5. For Hannah's language study and deeper relationships with the students and Hungarian nationals.
6. For all of the students and staff as we phase out the accredited program and seek the Lord in what He will do as we start afresh this coming semester.

Tax deductible support with end of the year receipt can be mailed to:
Called Christians, Inc
P.O. Box 90876
Albuquerque, NM 87199

Be sure to put the following on the check memo line: Jared Scheller

Monthly direct withdrawal is available as well.  contact me for more info if you are interested in this.

Paypal is also available at rn_psalms139@sbcglobal.net

Our Mailing Address is:
Jared and Hannah Scheller
Német Útca 13 IV Emelet 6
Budapest, Hungary 1084

You can also follow us on facebook and instagram @stellarscheller