Stockerau Gemeinde (church)

I'm encouraged!

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

Two things are burning on my heart this evening:

1. To keep the first thing first: loving God with my all, staying connected to and knowing Him as first, utmost and constant importance in my life (the first part of Ephesians 2 talks about how we were dead in our sins before God raised us to life in Christ because He loves us; our works flow out of LIFE in Christ which we've received by grace through faith!)

2. To walk in the good works God has planned for me to do!

Will you join me in prayer that I would understand and know the good works God has planned for me? Tonight I met with OM missionary Hanna Keller and heard about opportunities and needs from Stockerau Church that I can be a part of when I return from Hungary. Here are the options I'm praying about:

• Helping lead a peer group of 5 girls, ages 14-18. This would be discipleship ministry and really investing into these girls' lives.
• Being a part of a House Group of young adult girls. This would be more like peer discipleship in encouraging and growing with girls my age who live in Stockerau.
• Being a part of establishing and planning a monthly outreach to the youth in the Stockerau community (creating a coffee shop atmosphere at the church)
• Helping kids learn English
• Helping with a Scouts group (similar to Awana or Girl Scouts on a smaller scale, put on by the church)
• Helping out with a Christmas musical that the children of the church will be performing (possibly designing sets and costumes)
• Meeting with a special needs girl from the church once a week to give her some quality time that helps her function better (and to just love on her!)

Please pray that God reveals to me how much He wants me to be a part of and also that He fills me with His Spirit and presence and counsel to know how to best disciple and minister and encourage and strengthen the Body in Stockerau.

Hanna said that there are so many believers who are unsure of their callings or of their place in the church. Austrian culture in general is very negative so kids receive little encouragement in school. Austrians are really thirsty to be encouraged and are in need of a strengthening of their self esteem and of their identity in Christ. I would love to breathe this encouragement from the Lord all over them!

Thank you for your prayers. :)

Hungary

Back from Budapest; the trip was a success! It took quite a while, but thanks to OM Hungary we were able to apply for our visas (big thanks to Atilla, a Hungarian missionary and native Hungarian speaker who helped us with all our documents) and should hear the results in the next month or two.

Besides filling out paperwork and waiting in lines, we spent time with Terry and Rebecca, OM missionaries who have been there for 18 years and they prepared us for the camps we'll be working at this summer. Primarily we'll be teaching English, to both children and adults and we'll also be heading up some kids sports camps. It's going to be a full summer!



Hungarian coffee! This is Joselynn, who just so happens to be from Colorado! She and her sister are spending time in Hungary teaching English as well as sight-seeing around Europe. They came and joined us in Vienna for a couple days too and we had a great time hanging out with them! It was nice to have the comfort of some Americans to hang out with. :)

The bridge in Budapest. Such an incredible city with awesome architecture!

Jeffrey (who's become quite the mountain man :) made friends with this statue. Hehe :)

The Bridge again!


The guys. :) Our team is so blessed to have these three wise and Jesus-loving dudes!


Super cool spot! I was quite attracted to the chunky black swirly light posts in contrast to the white stone. :)


Me and Jeffries on the car ride back. He's my best friend!

Diese Wochenende :::this weekend:::

Some highlights of the weekend...

::: 1 :::

Jeff and I joined a small group of 9 young adults from CIG church in Vienna that meets every Saturday in Vienna for the summer. Yesterday was our first meeting and it was great! It was hosted at our leader's flat, Rob (American) and Isabella (Austrian) and we had a great time getting to know everyone. The theme of our time is "Equipped" with the endeavor to find and act out of the calling we have for the building up and expanding of the Body of Christ. It's a great group and I'm really excited for it (not to mention that Rob has a motorcycle that he said Jeff could borrow)! Yay for new friends and a Christ-centered community.

::: 2 :::

Jeff and I then visited a garden/animal place in the middle of the city owned by a Christian man, Martin, who wants people to experience God in nature. He's a landscaper by profession so turned his land into a masterpiece for example! You can check it out here. Jeff had to leave for church, but I stayed and talked awhile (in German!) to Martin and some other visitors over rhubarba (rhubarb!) cake and coffe. They were so friendly, kind and generous and it was fun to experience a part of their lives.

::: 3 :::

Today I got to go swimming at the pool with Lindy and Judika (a fellow missionary from Germany). Then Lindy and I went to get Kebab's (a very popular Turkish food that's similar to a Gyro and is European fast-food!) and met an elderly Austrian man on a park bench. He was friendly and talked to us in German for over an hour-- the best part: we understood the whole thing!! Yay. :) He lives in Stockerau so we can go and visit him!

Tomorrow.... we leave for Hungary to apply for visas! Team trip in the team van. :) We'll be back Thursday! Until then...

Auf Wiedersehen!

Travel the Land

Exciting Days to come!

This Monday our team leaves for Hungary for four days to apply for our visas and to get an orientation of the city. We will return there for 2 months on July 11th to help out OM Hungary with their summer camps. I'm so excited for this!

(Hungary)

As I've been reflecting on my time so far in Austria, there are things I wish I would've done differently, especially after taking the Cultural Anthropology class. I feel like I would do so much better another time around! At first I was discouraged about this, but then I was encouraged because that's the point of Global Internship! This is the time to get out there and try and make mistakes (not purposefully of course) and learn from them, and that's what is happening! So that to say, I'm excited for a fresh start in a new country to put these things I've learned into practice (I've also been talking to Jesus about what I wish I would've done differently and have asked Him to redeem them because there's more in store for this time in Austria!)

In between these two trips to Hungary, I will have two weeks free, which I'm planning on spending time at MHOP, learning German (I'm currently reading through the Chronicles of Narnia auf Deutsch!), and doing small service projects either here in Stockerau or in Vienna. I'm also excited to research some about Hungary and prepare for our time there.

At the beginning of July our team will spend a week serving at a teen camp in Gutenstein, Austria. There will be up to 100 students there from all over Europe! I'm really excited for this time, and am also excited to help out Ulla in the kitchen and learn from her awesome cooking!

Please pray that I would have eyes to see what God is doing and ears to hear Him. Pray that I learn what He desires to teach me!

Berthold

Today I went to buy coffee for our flat at a new place: a small backerei/konditorei (bakery, coffee and cake-like place :) that's just down the street from us called Berthold. It reminded me a little of Mugz (in an Austrian sort of way)! The lady at the counter, named Ingeborg, who doesn't speak without a warm smile and cheerful laugh, was quite friendly so I decided to sit and stay awhile. There was an elderly woman finishing up her Kaffee and Kuchen (coffee and cake) and so I got to converse with them. Ingeborg was excited that I was learning German and said she could help me with it if I could help her with English! I enjoyed talking to them for awhile and was encouraged when they said I'm speak good German for only four months. I have a long way to go though! Right now I'm reading the Chronicles of Narnia auf Deutsch. :)

I really want to be a part of this town called Stockerau. I'm going to try to visit Berthold more regularly- what better atmosphere to meet new people, practice German and grow relationships?

I'm excited because I met 3 new girls at church on Sunday who are all 21, fun, Christians and live in Stockerau! I'm hoping to host a party for them and the other Christian young adults in Stockerau so we can all get to know them better.

Pray that God connects me more and more here and grows the relationships I've made!

Vielen Dank (Many thanks)!

Cultural Anthropology

Yesterday we finished up a week of an intensive course of Cultural Anthropology. It was great! Professor Paul Strand, who travels the world training up nationals to create their own missionary schools, flew out from Bethany in MN to spend the week with us. We had 6 hours of class a day and a few hours of reflective and interactive homework a night. I feel like I see things from a whole new perspective after this week!

One lecture that really stood out to me was called Forms and Meanings. Paul shared stories from all over the world about the various ways that people acomplish things necessary for life. Every culture is vastly different from another, based off of the weather, resources available and values of the people. For instance, while we use electric heating to keep warm in the winter, some of the Chinese use saunas before they go to bed and basically cook themselves then crawl into blankets in their unheated apartments and keep warm all night!

What I realized from this is #1, we all grow up learning and assuming that our way is the best way, even the only way to do things. #2 This is not true! Just because its different doesn't mean its bad. Therefore, instead of making judgments about things I've never seen or experienced before, ask questions and really seek to understand why people do things the way they do, because there is a reason!

I feel like I've come away from this class with a much greater and deeper appreciation for people, individuals, differences and creativity.

I'm excited to practice the principles I learned in this class and I'm really thankful for the vision, inspiration and encouragement I received from this week. Mr. Strand is an incredibly wise man with a humble heart and loving countenance. He was such a blessing to our team!

My computer

I'd like to introduce you to my computer!

The display on my laptop went out when I first arrived here, so thankfully OM has an enormous monitor that I've been hooking up to my laptop since then! Jeffrey was so kind to carry it out to the family room one time so that I could be with everyone. :)

But now my laptop has been working off and on and we will be traveling to Hungary for a month and a half and I won't be able to bring this massive monitor with me!

I made this need for a laptop known and also expressed a desire of my heart for a mac book, as I have borrowed use of photoshop and illustrator and a mac has incredible artistic capabilities! I'm hoping to use this for ministry both now and in the future. And now, praise God, so far $1,250 has been raised towards this new laptop!!! It would be possible to get a macbook with this, however $249 more is need for a 3 year warranty and $50 for shipping.

If you are interested in helping out with this, you can contact Pastor John Lockhart at 281-342-8664 or john@fbcrichmond.net.

God is so great and has already provided for so much- way beyond I could've imagined! I am so thankful!

Mercy House of Prayer

Hello hello!

Last week we were getting back into things here in Stockerau after traveling quite a bit. I got to spend quite a bit of time at Mercy House of Prayer (http://mhop.speaklife.at/)! And here's why...

After much prayer these past few months concerning where God had for me to plug in ministry wise, I met with the leaders of MHOP, Brandi and Vicki (two Texas ladies!) and expressed my interest with them about being a part of the House of Prayer in Vienna! They were extremely excited! I am quite excited myself!

I find my interest in this very interesting!

When I first heard about 24/7 houses of prayer and International House of Prayer, I was a little hesitant and guarded. Honestly I think I thought it sounded kind of boring and like something that's for other people but not for me. But over these past few years, especially during my year in Minnesota in how our school was so connected to Bethany House of Prayer, my attitude towards this has drastically changed and it's become something very dear to my heart.

My primary ambition in life: to love God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength and to love my neighbor as myself! I'm passionate about seeing everything in my life come into agreement and alliegence to Jesus. I want to know Him. I want to be like Him. I want to be one with Him.

How does this happen?

By beholding His beauty. By gazing at Him. By being with Him.

A chapter of the Bible that has really impacte my heart is Matthew 25, concerning the 10 virgins. When the Bridegroom comes, 5 were prepared and had oil, but 5 didn't.

I want to be ready when Jesus comes back. I want to have the oil that comes from the inside, that comes from fellowshiping with God and His Spirit. And from that place of knowing God, I want to minister to others.

I really feel that God has ordained for me to be a part of Mercy House of Prayer this year, not only to grow in intimacy with God, but also to devote myself to prayer and intercession for the city of Vienna, for the church, and for the world. What I am sensing the most from God is that He wants me to partner with HIm in prayer, because without Him we can do nothing. I want to be apart of shifting things in the spiritual realm, which then impacts the physical.

Praise God for His direction and I'm so excited! More to come about what that means practically in my life, but I wanted to share with you the direction God has given me thus far.

In addition to MHOP, I've been attending church at the Austrian church here in Stockerau, and am praying about how to be apart of ministry there. I would appreciate your prayers in this as well!