ABOUT

Welcome

     Our names are Richard and Caleigh Allen, and we are both 36 years old. We met and began dating in high-school, and we have been married since 2014. We have traveled a lot together, and we have lived in Georgia (USA), Italy, and Texas. We have two young boys, Ryland and Finn, and they are absolutely amazing! And now we have a baby girl, Arden, due at the end of September! We have quite a few projects that we have devoted much time and energy into, and so we have made this "Hub" to keep it all in one place. We would greatly appreciate it if you took the time to check everything out, and even reach out to us to say hi!

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College Years (2007-2011)

     Caleigh attended Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. She majored in Spanish, took prerequisite courses for Physician's Assistant school, intending to be in Labor & Delivery, and minored in Bible. During the fall of her sophomore year she studied abroad by way of the HULA program at Harding. This immersion program took her to Chile, Peru, and Argentina to learn more of a language she loves and to spend time in those cultures. In her junior year, after seeing her mom's home birth of her little sister, she decided not to pursue PA school after all, and instead would love to serve women as a midwife or doula for home births later in the future.

     I, Richard, began my college career by attending Georgia Southern University and after one semester transferred to Arkansas State University in Jonesboro to pursue football. I began a Communication Studies major and successfully walked onto the football team, where I would play for the following year as a wide receiver. During my junior year, I decided against pursuing a football career to allow more time for family and ministry. I continued my Communication Studies major for my junior year, but after spending the summer interning at the Woodstock Church of Christ in GA I decided to transfer to Harding University for my senior year.

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Post College (2011-2016)

     A few days after finishing our four years of college we served as English professors at the University of South China in Hengyang, Hunan, China through the China Now program at Harding. We spent five weeks here ministering to the college students through classroom teaching, personal Bible studies, and encouraging the saints already living there. 

     When we returned to the States, Caleigh and I served the church in many different capacities in the metro Atlanta, GA area - one on one Bible studies, teaching classes on Sundays and Wednesdays for different ages, serving as Summer camp counselors, coordinating and chaperoning various youth retreats and mission trips, and keeping kids at a day care during extra adult Bible study times.

     In addition, Caleigh spent time as a guardian for two children while their mother was on military duty, and started her own business as a calligrapher, photographer, and crafter. During this time, I served as a Paraprofessional for Ace Academy alternative school, and wrote and self-published the first novel in a planned trilogy which addresses spiritual warfare in our everyday lives.

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Move to Italy (2016-2019)

     In September of 2016, after noticing a need for teaching God's Truth and Love in Italy, we moved to Scandicci just outside of the beautiful city of Florence, Italy. While attending Italian language school and teaching English and the Bible to those in the community, we lived in an apartment-turned-Bible school, brought about by the Avanti Italia program, also made know to us through Harding University. After four months, when language school was complete, we moved to Rome, Italy where we worked alongside the church in various ministry capacities. We met lovely people as we traveled throughout Italy, as well as various parts of Europe, and we grew abundantly, personally and spiritually, from the experiences we had.

 

​Growing Family In Texas (2019-2024)

     Though we were not quite ready to depart from our beloved Italians, we wanted to have children near family, so in January 2019 we returned to the States with a souvenir in Caleigh’s belly, named Ryland Webster Allen. I became a Youth Minister for the Mesquite church of Christ in Mesquite, Texas, and Caleigh was able to stay home and manage our growing kingdom. As a minister at Mesquite I taught Bible classes for the teens and young adults, preached once a quarter, coordinated with other Youth Ministers around DFW for joint youth activities, and organized a host of other things for our teens to grow their faith. In the Summer of 2022 we welcomed another addition to our family, Finn Oliver Allen, and he is proving to be an amazing bundle of energy. And now we have a baby girl, Arden, due at the end of September! We are thrilled to add this precious soul to our kingdom.

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Our Next Adventure (2025-???)

     Though we never thought we would, we are now in the process of moving back to Italy to serve once more as missionaries. This time we will be serving in the North, where there is a great need, and if you want to see more about what this looks like then please click the “Mission” tab in the toolbar. We are a bit nervous and excited all at the same time about this move, but God has never led us into places where He isn't already. We have had a wonderful opportunity to partner with some amazing people and congregations for this work, and we truly feel the love from each and every one of them.

​     There are quite a few projects that we have on the horizon, and we are looking forward to exploring these and sharing our adventures with you. If you have already had a part in our story then please know that we are thankful for you, and we wish you nothing but success and blessings in life. Whether old friends or new, it is our pleasure and honor for you to come along with us in this journey.

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