getting ready!

in one week i will be in cape town, south africa (ah!) and i am getting so excited for the adventures up ahead! (i leave on february 4th at 10:30 am.) i am currently spending my last week in tulsa with my amazing mama and family! i spent the last two weeks in norman hanging out with my friends whom i love so dearly. i truly have found spiritual family in norman and i am so thankful for that! my time in norman was filled with lots of hang outs with dear friends, lots of time to process through my big move to africa, and lots of joy and laughter.

during my time in norman, my housechurch threw me my first surprise party ever! i was SO surprised! (see pic above) i was thrilled! they got me my favorite food (cookie cake!) and they spent time praying over me. the Lord gave me some AMAZING words through them.
here are a just a few:

--he spoke to me that he has perfectly positioned me for this move. i am perfectly positioned to bear much fruit! the time is just right!
--that he is sending me with angels on either side of me, protecting me. no fear! 100% protected by my heavenly Father!
--that he is preparing the hearts of people i will meet and that they are holding their breath, waiting in eagerness for the Good News to be shared with them!
--that the Lord will send me with his power, bringing salvations, joy and the power of his presence to the people in South Africa.

my time in norman was marked by refreshment, encouragement and lots of breakthrough both spiritually and financially! the Lord has provided for me in abundant ways and i am so unbelievably grateful for all who have supported me in any way, shape or form! i am so close to having all the money i need for tuition, but i still need just a bit more. if you have been stirred to give and have not been able to yet, it is not too late! (*see below for info on how to donate!)


below are some pics to help you get a better grasp of where i will be going! enjoy!

the beauty of cape town is breathtaking...i think it is the most beautiful place in the world!

this is a picture was taken from the top of table mountain. there are oceans and mountains everywhere in cape town!

my most favorite place in the world...boulder beach! penguins live here! isn't that funny?

here is a pic of a township in cape town. people use whatever materials they can to build homes. this is where i will be spending a lot of my time; meeting people, making friends and serving them, and sharing the love and hope of Jesus!

this is a pic of me and amanda sperle (who is attending CPx with me) saying goodbye to some friends inside their home in Masiphumelele, one of the townships All Nations is committed to.

the future of south africa. beautiful children at a primary school in masiphumelele.

the boy on my right's name is musa. musa has been my friend since the first time i visited south africa in 2007. i am not sure where his father is and since his mother died he has been passed around amongst family members. i have been committed to praying for musa; that he would be protected and love, and that he would grow up knowing that he is a son of God. he is very smart and i believe in him so much.

beautiful girls from masiphumelele. my heart cries out for the women and children of south africa; for them to know the love and freedom of Jesus.

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has annointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners...

Instead of their shame my people will recieve a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs." Isaiah 61:1-2, 7

MUCH LOVE AND JOY TO YOU ALL!

*if you woul like to donate to my time in south africa you can send checks to my home address:

10513 S. 86th E. Pl. Tulsa, Ok 74133

you can make checks out in my name (Whitney Caldwell). if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at whitneyelise211@hotmail.com.

claire layla caldwell

claire layla caldwell was born

on december 7th at 4:22 pm
in amman, jordan

7 lb. and 20 inches long

i love her big eyes and sweet chubby cheeks....i could kiss them ALL day long. my favorite thing is when i get to wake her up to eat...she is so warm and snuggly and i love watching her streeetch and open her eyes...it really is the best thing ever.


watching drew with her...he LOVES to burp her, change her diaper and do anything to take care of her. she is mesmorized by her daddy...his voice soothes her every time.


she loves her hands. she hates being swaddled and she likes having her hands by her face. she is so sweet. snuggling her is the best!


this pic is hilarious. since she was born, one of her ears flops over. the doctor said she probably was laying weird on her ear in the womb and that if we flatten it, it would lay right. but we discovered how her ear really got this way.... she loves to grab her ear! she was sleeping like this the other day! and she had her arms just like this in her 4-D ultra sound pic...so funny!


i have LOVED being an aunt. i love claire so much and i am so excited to get to see her grow up and become all the things the Lord has dreamed over her!

MUCH LOVE FROM JORDAN :)

adventures in jordan...

here are some more highlights from my time in jordan...claire definitely took her sweet time coming into this world, so we had some time on our hands!

one day my brother took my mom and me to explore downtown amman. we had been sitting around doing NOTHING for about a week waiting for claire everyday so it was so refreshing to get out and have an adventure!

downtown is filled with tons of small shops and little markets up alleyways. a pic of me and drew in a fruits and veggies market...everyone just yells as loud as they can...we bought kiwis, my new fav.

we ate at one of jordan's most well known restaurants. sitting outside eating falafel and hummas and egyptian tea...mmmm!

we also went to some roman ruins (who knew) and got to enter for free because the guy loved that drew spoke arabic like a native. (his arabic is unbelievable...sometimes people ask if he is arab because he doesn't have an accent...dang!)

here is a pic of our camel friend. this sweet camel lived a few blocks away from drew and mary's house in a neighbor's backyard!...really. this camel was bought for one the big holidays in jordan called the feast of slaughter (it was the day after thanksgiving). this holiday is celebrated to remember abraham's sacrifice of isaac. to celebrate families will slaughter an animal. (yikes! lots of blood in the streets ah). most will slaughter a sheep, however, this family went big and bought a camel to slaughter :( thus, our camel friend is no more! (also for this holiday there are feasts, and everyone goes and visits their families and they give eachother money and gifts...family is such a big deal here..i am learning so much about the culture which i love.

as i sit here writing this blog you can hear an array of noises flooding the streets of jabal hussein (the team's neighborhood). street vendors drive around selling things...they each have their own noise to let people know what they sell. so the fruits and veggies guy has a recording of him yelling in an incredibly obnoxious voice "fruits and vegetables" in arabic. some have songs, some just yell. the cotton candy vendor has a nice, whimsical sounding whistle that he blows as he walks by. and five times a day the call to prayer is blasted from nearby a mosque. never a quiet moment around here...especially now that we have the sounds of a sweet newborn to add to the mix :)

i will be back in the states on wednesday...so sad to be leaving family here :(
but i am excited for the holidays with family and friends in oklahoma!

PEACE AND JOY to you all!

life in jordan!

greetings from amman, jordan!

it has been really fun being here with my brother and mary. i love amman. i love the city, the culture, the people we have met. there is nothing better than being in a place i have never been...i love the nations! being here has been so stirring...reminded me of the desires of my heart to let go of comforts of home for the Kingdom. its so amazing to listen to drew and mary and the team speaking the language so well, laughing, joking with arab friends...i love it! my heart is bursting to learn a language and give myself to a people! someday. here are just a few pics of our time here so far...

setting up for baby claire....she has so much stuff! we are ready for her to come!

mary's baby shower! tons of amazing food, presents and DANCING! the last pic is of us laughing so hard because of how NOT good we are at arab dancing :)

we love jordan but its always nice to have a touch of home. we went to starbucks the other night...i thought of my cute barista roommate and my sister amanda. some other american things we have done: dinner at chilis, mcdonalds at the big mall, and seeing NEW MOON!

well thats all the pics i have right now...will upload some more tomorrow maybe. there is so much more to tell! well we are still waiting for baby claire! we are praying she comes soon because we can not wait to meet her!

i miss you all. SO MUCH!

LOVE LOVE LOVE to all!

oh baby baby!

today i went shopping with my mom and nanny for my niece, baby claire! it was quite the adventure. we seriously shopped for NINE hours ah. we were freaking out, really. we bought an obscene amount of stuff. BUT it was sooo fun. my favorite thing i bought for her is a light pink tutu with a princess onesie...oh man i can't wait to love on the little princess. so excited to meet her.

i leave in three days. i will post pics the instant she is born! i am headed back to norman tomorrow for my last day in my apartment...i will miss living in norman SO much...oh how i have been abundantly blessed by the people i get to live life with in norm norm.



LOVE YOU ALL.

well...here is my blog!

hello friends,

i figured it was time to start a blog! would love to be able to keep in touch well and share all that is happening in my life. i will be leaving in a week and a day for amman, jordan to visit drew and mary and my niece, so i thought this would be a perfect time to start blogging! that is all for now...LOVE and JOY and BLESSINGS to all!