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We have started going to the Oasis (Christian-run Refugee Center) on Wednesday nights. This is when the Gospel talk happens, and there is basically a church service. Matt and I have recently taken on the responsibility of leading the worship music with guitar and piano. Matt is also preaching the message there one Wednesday per month. A couple of weeks ago we had the privilege of taking along one of Matt’s classmates, Jenny, at her request. She is from Moscow, and was happy to help in translating the talk into Russian for the Georgians in the audience. She was also very curious about what goes on at the Oasis since she had heard Matt talk about it at language school.

It was a great experience for us and for Jenny. We got to deepen our friendship with Jenny, and she got to interact with refugees and Christian workers. Jenny talked a long time with a woman from Russia who was very well-educated and had owned her own business. Unfortunately, this woman had to flee Russia because of threats from the local government due to her political views. Jenny was surprised to find out that a woman like this could become a refugee. Jenny’s comment reveals the discovery that poverty and hardship doesn’t just come upon the uneducated or upon people to whom we can’t relate. As believers, we realize we must confess any pride of thinking we have provided for ourselves or that we are better than people in poverty and unstable situations.

Matt and I are continually challenged and blessed by our time at the Oasis. We are also excited about bringing other friends with us on Wednesdays. Jenny has since returned to Moscow. Pray that we would continue to keep in touch with her. Also, one of Liz’s American classmates at the language school has expressed interest in coming with us one evening. Pray that he would be able to come and that God would use us in his life to bring him closer to knowing Christ. Pray for Matt as he is preaching tomorrow night. Continue to pray for the refugees to find their hope in God during their unsettling time of waiting for the government to tell them whether they can stay or if they have to go. Pray for a Georgian family in particular, with two school-aged children, who have been here about 2 months in the refugee quarters. They are desperate to receive a “yes” from the government.

Sorry if any of you were in suspense, but, “ta-da”, we found our mop! It was waiting for us in a hardware store way across town. We were so excited! We were glad to welcome this mop into our home, unlike this woman. Now, who wants to come over and use it?

It has amazed me to see how things are moving here in terms of refugee work. Before we came to Vienna, I expected to go to the refugee camp once a week for a while and perhaps slowly get other people involved in ministry. However, from the moment we landed here, I have been struck with how much is happening in terms of ministering to the “stranger” here in Europe. After only a week of being here, Liz and I were invited to a baptism where seven Afghans and Iranians were making it known publicly that they embrace Jesus as Messiah and that His death alone cleanses them from their sins.

Right after the baptism service we hurried from one church to another, at the very far end of town, to meet some people who had just started a refugee ministry of their own. This married couple, who has been here for nearly 3 years, desires to get the Austrian Church involved in Refugee work. They had just that afternoon trained some girls from their church to teach German to refugees. We also discovered that they were from Texas also and even knew one of my old college friends. We were intrigued, and asked if we could meet again once our trip to Slovakia was done and we had had some time to settle in.

We finally caught up with each other again just over a week ago in downtown Vienna in a Starbucks near the celebrated Vienna Opera House. We had just signed up that day for language classes at a school that they had suggested. They were eager to hear what we thought of the school and who our teachers would be. They were glad to hear that I would have one of their favorite teachers. They shared some more of their vision with us, and it’s amazing to me how similar it is to ours. Not only do they regularly visit the Oasis, the ministry near the refugee camp, but they also do work with refugees who have already been given asylum here in Vienna. They also seemed very interested in our plans as well. Who knows if or how we might work together in the future, but it has been very encouraging to see how God is working here in Vienna through refugee ministry.

So right now we are in an internet cafe, since we don’t have email access at the church where we are staying. It is a rainy afternoon here, and we plan to find a “kaffeehaus” to hang out in after a quick run to the grocery store (I am trying to get used to going to the store every two days now, since everything must be carried home). The first few days here, we walked a lot and took in some sights to stay awake. It also helps that there is lots of awesomely strong coffe here! I’ve been learning some German with a cd-ROM program I have and also by reading signs, food labels, and occassionally picking up a word I hear in public. Matt and I have been doing some more planning and preparations for the summer college team that will be here in 2 1/2 weeks. Russ and Adam have also been a big help in that!

We had the opportunity to volunteer at the refugee ministry on Thursday. While Matt chatted in German with a young man over Connect 4, I unexpectedly got to resurrect my high school French! I talked with a man from Algeria for a long time (actually, listening a lot)about the things he had gone through on his journey through France, Italy, and finally, to Austria. We also talked about God, and about how being here in Austria feels like a ray of hope for this man. Please pray for him and that he would find his hope in God. Other than that, we are just adjusting, meeting with our team (Russ and Adam), getting used to no AC and lots of secondhand smoke again. It is an adventure, and Matt and I are so glad to be doing it together! Thank you so much for your prayers! Please keep them coming!

We want to thank all of you who encouraged us as we visited Liz’s hometown for the last time before flying to Vienna in June. It was great to visit with our family, friends, and supporters. Thanks to your faithful prayers and generous giving, we have reached 80% of our monthly support goal!

We enjoyed the cooler, Missouri spring weather, riding bikes with Liz’s folks, going to a Royals baseball game, and eating some Kansas City barbeque!

It was about 3 years ago when my good friend Mei Ling came to visit Kansas City and stayed with me at my apartment. While she was there for a short time, she organized a massive college reunion at Chipotle with everyone in the KC area that could come. She also invited one of her guy friends who was in KC at the time in the hopes that he and I could get to know each other, a secretive set-up or fact-finding mission if you will, which Mei Ling called, “It’s Just a Burrito!” (meaning, you’re not going on a date or committing to like this guy, just be open-minded and come eat a burrito with everyone). Although I was reluctant, I agreed. It helped to be in a group of people, and to have Mei Ling as my “wing man” to observe things somewhat objectively.

As it turned out, we had a great group at Chipotle, this guy and I had some chat time, and that was it. I didn’t feel any connection or interest in this guy, and Mei Ling confirmed by her observation that maybe there wasn’t anything there. But hey, it was “just a burrito”, no harm done.

Well, I don’t think Mei Ling knew how much her visit encouraged me at the time. Up until then, I had just healed from my long-time crush getting engaged, I didn’t have any guy friends in my social circles, and I didn’t really talk to guys at church (or acknowledge their existence). I realized I had given up hope of meeting someone in order to “protect” my heart from constant heartbreak and disappointment. But I also realized that I was storing up lots of bitterness that was preventing me from serving Christ fully by truly serving and caring for the Christian community, both sisters AND brothers.

Mei Ling’s example of reaching out to others made me examine my heart and to start “forcing” myself to be as involved as I could at church and to go to the group parties that could be so awkward. My motivation was almost all selfish at first–to “put myself out there” so that good Christian guys knew of me and would want to date me; but as time went on, the group activities became a little less awkward as I focused on others and how I could serve them. Looking back on that time, it wasn’t just a lesson in serving others as a single, it was a lesson in serving sisters and brothers in Christ for a lifetime. God calls us as believers to be involved in Church community not only for our encouragement, but especially to serve. The Body NEEDS all of the parts! The Church body, working together, is His plan for continuing to reveal Himself to the world.

As you all know, God did not “reward” me for my changed attitude by providing a husband right away from my circle of church friends in Missouri, as I thought He might, as a special favor to me. He saw everything in my life (and how it fits into His plan) and knew everyone inside and outside of my small social circle. He chose to take me out of that comfortable social circle (which had taken a few years to get comfortable with) and send me to a different country with no potential husband prospects that I could see. God provided, in His time, the husband He had picked out for me. God made it clear as Matt took the initiative to persue me. Let me tell you, though–I almost disobeyed God by not going to Russia, because I couldn’t see how I would ever get married.

I’m not saying that going overseas to be a missionary will guarantee you a husband. Nor will faithfully serving Him right now, wherever you are. What I can say is that obedience to Him is good and worth it all the time. Above all, He is worthy of our obedience. We are called to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, not to earn anything, but because we’re grateful that we’ve already received His greatest gift–Himself.