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The good news is that we in fact have 2 of the three documents that we need for our visa right now with the third currently in transit and guaranteed to be delivered here tomorrow morning as long as there are no issues in customs. The bad news is I talked on the phone today with a different case worker (ours was not available) and she sounded unsure that our visa would be granted so soon. I haven’t given up all hope yet, but to be honest it was a bit disheartening to hear. Either way, I’m planning on going down there tomorrow and physically handing in the documents that we have. And of course following up with plenty of questions.

Hopefully I’ll talk with our case worker then and find out what she knows. She was going to talk to the people that handle the decisions so we should have a more official word from her. Pray that she found out some good news for us. Otherwise we could be heading to Dallas/Ft. Worth as early as Monday morning arriving there in the afternoon of the same day.

We have a place to stay, which is a real blessing. We are still looking for a vehicle to drive. We will be staying East of Denton a bit, so we will need something to get us to and from the store/church etc. We’ll have a car seat with us and most of the things we need for Naomi. We have a travel crib and can pack that if we need to but I’ve been thinking if anyone has one that we can borrow, that would help us save some space in our bags.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving up hope just yet. Please keep praying that this all works out and we don’t have to come back at this time. I’m just preparing for the all possible outcomes while we all hope and pray for the best!

I wrote a few months ago about my Nigerian Friend Uche who was in danger of being deported back to Nigeria. I later found out that not only Uche was in danger but also his roommate Moses. You will remember that I had been helping teach Uche to read and Moses was a part of my Bible study. I wanted to let everyone know that Moses and Uche are doing fine now. Moses tells me that he had a close call with the police one day and has since moved out of the house he’d been living in. He also told me that he had the help of a lawer that does pro bono work for refugees and he and Uche are back in the process of getting their residence visas. Uche has since started taking a German class, which is even better for him than me trying to teach him to read in English. Moses has also joined my BTCL class which I started two weeks ago. Keep praying for these guys that they would continue to grow in their knowledge and love of the Lord and that they would be salt and light here in Austria.

A picture of part of my BTCL class with two of my Nigerian friends

I know that most everyone has taken down their trees by now but I wonder if you will allow me to make one more reflection about this Christmas season.

Maybe it was because Liz was pregnant and we were constantly on the road due to a foreign government’s decree, but this Christmas I found myself thinking of the Christmas story from Joseph and Mary’s perspective. I’m sure anyone who has either been pregnant or helped a loved one through a pregnancy can tell you that travel, especially late in the game, is no picnic. Of course Mary and Joseph didn’t have to worry about things like compression stockings and economy class transatlantic flights 2,000 years ago, but those things would have probably seemed like luxuries compared with the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem. We were also fortunate to be able to stay with friends and family during our travels. I could not imagine the shame (let alone the discomfort) of staying in the stable of an inn, in a culture that is so much more concerned with hospitality than our own.

And now as we put our crib together and get our little girl’s things in order I can’t imagine having to put her in an animal trough on her first night outside the womb. That’s what really hit me this year as I was reading Luke 2 just before we opened our presents. Verse twelve says, “’ ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’” (Luke 2:12 ESV) Did I see that right? The sign that the shepherds were to seek, the mark that would tell them that this is the promised anointed-one of God, was that they would find a baby lying in a feeding trough? I wonder if Mary and Joseph ever asked themselves, “Why must we travel during this time when it is so difficult to do so?” “Why is there no one to take us in?” “Why is the only shelter available an animal stable?” “Why is there nowhere to lay our child but a trough?” Then the shepherds show up and reported to them that it was the sign that the angels told them about, a sign appointed by God. I wonder even if these were some of the things that Mary was treasuring in her heart as the Shepherds told her what they had seen.

I still don’t know the purpose that God had for us as we were traveling during this time and I’m sure it is not nearly as wonderful as the purpose He had for Joseph and Mary. I do know this; He does have a purpose for even the difficult things in our life. Whatever circumstances we go through, we know that our fundamental task, or purpose is to walk obediently with God, desiring that He be glorified and shown to be worthy of praise in our words, thoughts, and actions. When the people around us see this reaction, they will see and hopefully come to encounter the hope, joy, and peace that is beyond circumstances. For this reason may we grow by God’s grace in saying with Mary, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1: 38a ESV)

Snow globe museum in Vienna – latimes.com

Liz and I are enjoying time with family and friends down here in my home town of El Campo, TX. We’ve even caught the annual Christmas parade complete with floats, the high school marching band, cowboys, and tractors decked out with Christmas lights. It’s great to be with family, especially during this time of year, but we miss our friends and ministry at home in Austria. We have been encouraged lately, however, that in our absence God continues to work in the seeds that we have planted there. One example is in our friend Djudji and our neighbor Melanie. Djudji, a friend of ours from Church, asked if she could stay in our apartment while we are gone. This was a huge blessing to us since now we have someone watching over our place while we are gone. We encouraged Djudji to get to know our friendly new neighbor Melanie. We have been getting to know Melanie for the last few months and have been praying about how we can minister to her and were praying that Djudji could continue while we were away. Sure enough, one night when Djudji was hosting a Bible study group in our apartment Melanie came over to see what was going on. Since then Djudji tells us that Malanie comes over regularly and that they both watch out for each other. Djudji has been sharing the gospel with Melanie and has invited her to take part in a woman’s Bible study group. We are thrilled to know that God is ministering to our neighbor even while we are gone. It makes us want to be there all the more, but we are also encouraged that we are here at this time for a reason. Please continue praying with us that God continue to draw Melanie to Himself, and that He would show us His purposes even in our visa difficulties.

I was praying today and thinking about an article I read about the hardening immigration policies in Austria. We had to leave the country over a week ago because our application for a residence permit was dismissed. We found out on a Saturday and left in less than a week. It was and is stressful, but I am so thankful that we are able to leave voluntarily this way. I was thinking about those immigrants and asylum seekers that don’t leave voluntarily. Why don’t they leave? Some don’t want to leave because they fear that they will not have work, or not be able to take care of their children, maybe even children they decided to have while in Austria. Some may even be going back to hostile situations, not even sure that they will be able to live or survive.

I was thinking about this not because we had to come back, but because I found out that a friend of mine is being deported. Uche and I have been meeting together every week for the last six months or so. He came from Nigeria over six years ago when he was only a teenager. Uche can’t read. I met him when I went over to his friends house to lead a Bible study. He was the sweetest guy. He had a gentle and trusting way about him. I could tell he had a heart to serve. He loved the Lord.

Uche really wanted to participate in the Bible study. My friend and I who were co-leading did our best to help him, but Uche quietly stopped coming one day. My friend decided to teach him to read. When he left on furlough six months ago, I took over. Uche and I became friends. I enjoyed getting to know him. I enjoyed the challenge of teaching him to read. He is reading short words and sentences now but I wish we could have read the Bible together. That was his goal.

I don’t know why Uche is being deported. He certainly is not the model immigrant. His German wasn’t great. He sold newspapers to make money. “Schwartze Arbeit” is what they call it, “working black”-illegally. It is very common. He was a refugee. He was accepted into the system, but he either didn’t take the systems help or the system just didn’t’ help him much. I’m not trying to blame anyone. I’m just sad for my friend and wish that he could have been better off for his six years spent in Austria.

I’m also sad that another believer will be leaving a country where the evangelical population is so low (some estimate as low as .5 %). In many ways I am losing a coworker in the gospel. Please pray for Uche. Pray that he will be able see God’s hand in this and that he would use this time to grow in his faith. Pray also for more workers for Austria, weather they be nationals, missionaries sent by large congregations, or missionaries sent by persecution as the believers in Acts 8:4 who were scatterd and went everywhere preaching the word.

A picture of our Bible study. Uche is on the far left.

Check out our August 2010 newsletter

It’s early Saturday evening and we Ecks make our way to the 10th district of Vienna for our once-monthly visit to the Iranian church. Actually, it’s one of four Iranian churches in Vienna, but we are familiar with this one because our friend David is the pastor. He has asked Matt to preach once a month while he translates the message into Farsi (the language of Iran; understood by Afghans also). We are happy to help out David however we can, as he also holds down a full-time job in addition to being a pastor and volunteering at the Oasis two nights a week.

Matt and I arrive early and are able to join a few other church members in a time of prayer before the service. Our friends Anwar and Reza are there, both of whom also volunteer at the Oasis with us. Anwar also attends Calvary Chapel with us and was the first to invite us to Calvary. A young woman named Linda is also in the group. She, along with David, will eventually start taking piano lessons from me, with the goal of being trained as church musicians to provide live worship music for the service. We take turns praying around the table, and after each person’s prayer, the group says together, “Ah-meen.”

We conclude our time, and Matt and I are invited to take our seats in the meeting hall where the service will take place. We walk in to find two long rows of tables beautifully and simply decorated in citrus colors with napkins, candles, and dried flowers. Anwar comes up to chat with us in German and admits to the handiwork. Tonight there will be a big meal after the service, and already the smell of exotic spices wafts in from the kitchen. I try to name the spices I’m smelling. Is it turmeric? Cardamom? Alas, I’m not as familiar with these aromas. This will be Matt’s and my first experience with Persian food. We are excited.

People begin entering the church, shaking hands with each other and greeting each other with “Salaam.” After everyone takes their seats, the service begins. There are several times of scripture reading and prayer interspersed between the Persian worship songs, which are played from a recording and displayed with slides on the screen up front as everyone sings along. Matt and I participate by clapping on the beat with everyone and trying our best to figure out some of the Farsi words. I like the songs and hope to learn some of them. After an hour of worship, prayer, and scripture reading, Matt is called up to the podium to give the message.

Matt speaks in English as David translates into Farsi, introducing himself and me, and then diving into a message of unity from James 4. After the sermon, we enjoy getting to know some of the people over a nice meal of chicken cooked in a tomato sauce, saffron rice with dried red currants, and beef cooked in a green-leaf sauce, like nothing I’ve ever tasted. Apparently the man who volunteered to cook everything had been hard at work since morning. We later find out he used to officially work as a chef. We are encouraged by people’s comments that Matt’s sermon really touched on what people needed to hear. After having tea and chatting some more, we say goodbye to our friends old and new, thankful to God and looking forward to next time.