Caleb Brown Mitchell, there is a lot that can be said about this very interesting man. He has one of the most caring hearts I have ever seen. I have gotten to spend some quality time with him here in India so far while doing our morning devotionals and I get to see his hunger for the word grow every day. If you ever get the opportunity to see him around kids, do not pass on it. He is able to be a light to everyone he sees because he is able to make everyone he comes in contact with feel important. In his senior year of high school he enrolled in a class where he went through firefighter training and is now firefighter Mitchell. He also runs a very successful lawn care company with his two brothers. He also has one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. I’m so excited to see what the Lord has in store for this wonderful man of Christ.
How have you been able to use worship to reach, minister, or bring light to the kingdom?
-“In Swaziland I had the opportunity to learn some songs in their language and it was and amazing experience to not just lead worship in English but then also supplementing that with songs that the locals knew and could sing along with was such a blessing to use that to connect with people in the community or people in the prison (where we did ministry on Tuesday’s). Also in Nepal when we were trekking we stopped at this restaurant on the top of a mountain and they had a guitar and a stage and I just started jamming out and worshiping with my buddies.”
What has been your lowest or hardest moment on the race so far?
-“So far it was the week leading up to Christmas in Nepal. I mean I knew it was going to be rough and we really didn’t know anything about our ministry that week we didn’t know what it was going to look like and I had to die to myself because I was trying to gain control of everything. And everyone was just getting over being sick from that crazy stomach bug that we got hit with. I wasn’t doing a good job at all with getting into the word. It was just a really tough time.”
Now that we are halfway through how much growth have you seen in your personal walk with Christ?
-“Well I had the opportunity to share it with the entire squad a few time but I struggle with reading and writing a lot and it made it really discouraging leading up to the race with quiet time and stuff, because as I now see it, it is necessary to grow with the Lord by being in his word and diving deeper into it. I was able to sit down with some of our leaders and squad mates who have really helped me out and they have really helped me understand what I’m reading. And now I really love to get into the word and I have really seen how much of a difference it can make in my life, my walk with the Lord, my interest, and my desire to grow with the Lord. The Guys we were reading a proverb a day (going along with the date because there are 31 chapters) and before ministry every morning we would discuss what we got out of it or what stood out to us. It was an amazing opportunity to have that fellowship. Worship has definitely helped me to want to get the meaning behind the songs I’m singing through scripture. I was able to learn a lot through our ministry host in Swaziland (shout out my mans) he gave so much wisdom to me and the other people that were apart of the worship group there.”
What is the big thing that the Lord has revealed to you about yourself?
-“Well before going on the race I’m not sure that I would have considered myself depressed by any means, I don’t really feel like I have ever struggled with my mental health, the Lord has definitely blessed me with not struggling with that. I really struggled in school growing up like what I talked about earlier with reading and writing and I have some pretty serious learning disability’s that just made it tough on me growing up. I played the comparison game growing up with my brothers. I told myself that I was just stupid, that has just been something that I have really struggled with. Especially growing up. I have felt so much victory in that, the Lord has shown me that I am loved and that I am made they way that he want me to be. And everything that I think is a struggle not that it isn’t a struggle, that he has given me that and for me to look at it as a gift that I am perfectly crafted by the creator of the universe. Let me say that again, we are perfectly crafted by the creator of the universe. And I am one to stand here on earth and look up at my God and say Lord why did you create me like this and get mad at him for that. It’s just been really cool to see that throughout my time on the race that I’m not stupid and he loves me dearly and that I can connect with people through my struggles.”
How can you use firefighting to minister to people?
“It’s such a blessing to roll up on scene where something is creating some crazy panic or anxiety and we have the opportunity to come and let people know that things will be okay and we are there to do whatever we can to take care of the situation at hand. And also just to be In a time of prayer for the people involved and over the situation as well. And also the fire house is a very dark place, a lot of people struggle with mental health issues after a tough call. And just being able to be a light there can make such a difference.”
