Welcome to the Allen Update Blog: It's Time for a Relaunch
- Richard & Caleigh Allen
- Jan 23
- 4 min read
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8
God has a funny way of steering us toward unexpected adventures, and we're excited to share some significant updates about our family journey during the past few months! This blog post captures our current adventures and highlights the changes happening with our family. From resigning from my role as a Youth Minister to accepting an invitation to return to Italy for mission work and exploring new and exciting opportunities, there's a lot to share.
Resigning from My Position as Youth Minister
Let's begin with the most difficult of news. After serving as the Youth Minister of the Mesquite church of Christ in Mesquite, Texas for the past 5 and a half years I decided to resign in July of 2024. The need to make this decision was abrupt, but I wish the wonderful people of Mesquite the best with their new direction of a "family-led Youth Group". Our boys made many new aunts and uncles during our time there, and it was a pleasure to have many special moments with the teens, young-adults, and families of the church.
We know that we will stay connected to the family that we made there regardless of where we are in the world.
Embracing the Invitation to Return to Italy for Mission Work
We are now onto the next adventure, and we are excited to announce that we have been invited to return to Italy to help the church! Having previously spent 2.5 years in Florence and Rome, our hearts long to reconnect with our family and friends throughout this beautiful country, as well as share the Gospel with new friends.
Italy has become an important part of our family’s story, and this time we will work closely with the church in Vicenza to grow the church in Padua. The church building will also serve as a Student Center to the 70,000+ University students who need a place to study and a place of comfort while being away from their families throughout Europe. With the support from so many generous Christians around Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas we are eager to get started on the work.
If you would like to know more about this or would like to support this work then please go to our "Mission" tab. We would love it if you kept us all in your prayers during this big transition in our family's life.
Opening Our Etsy Shop
Alongside our mission work, we are excited to share our Etsy shop with you all! We opened it in April of 2024, and we have been humbled by the support that has already been shown to us through it. This initiative blends our creativity and passion as we share the unique apparel and home goods that we’ve created or designed as a family. Our goods are all personally designed, and are fulfilled using a print-on-demand service.
We have also just opened a candle shop on Etsy named "Flicker and Wit" that you should definitely check out! Each frosted-glass or amber-colored candle has a witty phrase, and you get to choose the size to put it on. "Favorite" the shop or candle to get notified when new designs are created.
We also hope to open a third shop very soon that will focus on sharing Caleigh's travel photographs on canvases or as e-downloads.
We hope these shops will help fund our mission work and travel arrangements. More importantly, we want to inspire others to embrace their creativity and pursue their own amazing passions.
Co-Hosting a Faith and Fitness Podcast
In addition to these developments, I’m thrilled to announce my new role as a co-host of a Faith and Fitness podcast. This platform will allow us to engage in meaningful discussions about integrating faith into our daily wellness practices. It’s a unique blend that resonates with our belief that spiritual well-being and physical health go hand in hand.
This project isn't just a dream but a calling to connect with others on similar journeys. We will share stories, tips, and encouragement to inspire our listeners on their own faith and fitness journeys. We are thrilled about our upcoming episodes and community engagement that we have planned. If you have particular topics or questions that you want us to cover we would love to hear your thoughts! We will have our socials up soon, so you could "Subscribe" and share the podcast with others.
Relaunching Our Website
Given all that is happening, we recognized the need to update our online home. Initially launched in 2014, our site has been a hub for sharing our family updates, devotional posts, and mission work updates. However, as our life has changed significantly in the past several months we believe that it is time for a complete makeover.
The relaunched website will serve as the central place for all things related to our family, a variety of blog posts, updates on our mission work, Etsy shop, and podcast. We aim to provide updates on our journey and make it easy to find the resources that we plan to share. Whether you’re interested in growing in your faith, following our family adventures, or growing in your knowledge of health and fitness there will be something for everyone.
What's Next for Us
Life is an exciting journey and full of unexpected turns, as we can attest to the past several months. We are ready to embrace this new chapter together as a family. From stepping away from a beloved position and diving back into mission work, launching our Etsy shop (or three), co-hosting a podcast (or two), and refreshing our website, there’s no shortage of adventure ahead!
As we embrace these changes, we hope to connect with you and inspire each other through our stories. We look forward to sharing our experiences, insights, products, and updates with all of you, and feel free to share this website with others.
Our faith guides us, and we are excited to see where God leads us next. Let's embark on this journey together! Thank you for being a part of it.
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