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.
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| It's such a privilege to drop students off at the airport, but it is hard that the goodbyes come every semester. |
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| Visiting students and graduating students. I love these guys. |
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| My thesis student did so well. I'm so proud of him! |
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| 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.
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| One of many Scheller family Christmas photos. |
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| Visiting the Christmas market in Brataslava with Luke and Amanda. |
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| Meeting our new nephew Gideon. |
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| 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.
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| One of our community lunches with the staff and students at the dorm. |
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| 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.
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| 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
