A Cold June? I MUST be in Austria!

The past week has been awesome! God is so good! The weather has been very cold and wet here. Apparently unseasonably so, even for here! Monday we went to the school to play games with the children. The classes are a lot of fun and the kids are so excited to talk to us. I made balloons again for the students. I had a bit of a scare when after hearing that I studied communications in the University, their teacher asked me to explain more about what I studied. Much to my chagrin (and probably my parents and professors) I couldn't really answer that question...so I made something up and moved on! Ha!
Tres, our fourth team member, arrived on Tuesday. The other three of us travelled to Salzburg to pick him up at the Bahnhof (train station) where he had travelled from Munich. We had some delicious pastries there, and also got to see the garden where part of the Sound of Music was filmed. It was raining off and on, but still a very fun trip! That night we had a prayer meeting at the church. It was just us and Gerhard and Anita, the couple that I stayed with when I first arrived. It was a nice time, though. Hearing their vision and hope for our time here and just getting to pray with them was really cool.
Thursday morning we were back in the schools, this time getting the kids to describe an object in english while a partner who sat back to back with them created what they were describing out of play-dough. The kids loved the activity and it was fun for us too! Friday we spent with a youth named Fredy who has been in contact with the Central Baptist teams here for several years. He is still not a believer, so I was very excited that he wanted to hang out with us! We made burritos with the tortillas and seasonings I brought with me from Texas for him - he loved them, but thought that they were too spicy! We thought they weren't spicy enough! We actually found some salsa at the store here to go with the meal. On that note, I've been doing a lot of cooking here. I've made at least one meal, and often two, pretty much every day that we've been here. It's been fun, and challenged my creativity - I've been creating things without a recipe book! Most of the time it's been ok, and we've always been able to eat it anyway. Friday night we met with Gerhard and Gabby, two of the leaders in the church about our time here. It was awesome. Gerhard talked to us about how we can see God's bringing us here as an "invitation". We talked about how we often say God wants us to do something...but when you think about it as God inviting us to do something, or in this case, to see and be a part of what he is doing in Steyr, it takes the burden and the weight off of our shoulders and lets us rest on His. It was a very cool thought, and one that I think is very true. So I am excited to be here, accepting God's invitation to see what He is doing in Steyr!
Yesterday we had a youth afternoon playday. 2 kids came and we played cards ("Liar" aka B.S.) and then made chocolate chip cookies with them after a couple of others showed up, including none other than Fredy! Chocolate chips are a novelty here, while they have tons of AMAZING chocolate - you cannot by chocolate chips, so baking these cookies, with chips brought from home, is a treat for everyone! The cookies were good, but as I made them I noticed that the dough was extra sticky, and almost runny. It dawned on me, too late, that I probably needed to use the high altitude directions since we are near the mountains. Next time I will do so, and see if it makes a difference. Whatever the case, we ate them! Last night I led the Youth Meeting Bible study for the kids. I talked about Satan and how he tricks and deceives us, leading us into sin. I did a couple of magic tricks for them as an illustration - that was a big hit! I then talked about God's honesty and directness with us. I'm not sure how much of what I said they understood, but I hope that God was able to get something across to them. If nothing else it showed me how much what I was doing had nothing to do with their understanding. It was a very humbling experience, but a good one nonetheless.
This morning's church service featured the "Texaners" we were able to introduce ourselves and our lives and also give a brief testimony before the church. We each found a different youth or church member to translate for us. The four of us also prepared a song interpretation skit that I had done when I was on the drama team at Central. It was a neat way to add a new dimension to the worship service, and I think that it was well received. At the end of the service we sang a song, Shout to the Lord, in both German and English with the youth. Lukas played on the guitar and myself on the piano. The church then prayed over us in German. It was a neat way to end the service - I've never been prayed for in German before!

I'm excited to see what the coming week has in store! The team from Central Baptist arrives a week from today. So we'll be working with them soon.

that's all.

speiken zie Deutsch?

Grüss Gott! (God's Greetings!)

I sit in Steyr (pronounced Schtey-ahr) having just finished helping with the Baptistenkonference this weekend. I feel so blessed to be here. Our schedule has been non-stop since we arrived here on Wednesday, after a total of 11 hours in a plane and then 5 hours on 3 different trains to get here. The people have been so wonderful, and especially kind to my ignorance with the language. Most people under the age of 60 or so, speak english, though are hesitant to use it with us since they feel their knowledge of it is not good. However, once they see that my Deutsch (German) is even worse, they often open up! The children and youth are especially fun to interact with. Speaking of, we have visited a classroom and plan to visit many more over the summer. I made the class "lieufballoons" (balloon animals) while Adrienne (the missionary who has been here since December) worked on a lesson in English with them. The 14-15 year old boys were very excited to get swords, and started acting out scenes from Star Wars!

My first two nights here I stayed with a couple from the BaptistenGemeinde (Baptist Church) here in Steyr, Gerhardt and Anita. She is actually the president of the Austrian Baptist Convention, and they were in charge of the conference this weekend. They were so nice to open their home to me. I enjoyed a wonderful bread/butter/marmalade breakfast on Friday! Since the apartment I was to live in fell through at the last minute, I will now reside in the Jugendherberge (Youth Hostel) the rest of the summer. It will be an interesting experience since I will have new roommates each night. There are 6 beds in each room, open to anyone who comes to the herberge. The last two nights I have shared a room with a very nice young Canadian man. He spoke some English, so that was nice! I am excited about the opportunites for me to minister to the staff at the Herberge as well as the guys who will share my quarters. I think I'll probably be ready for a private bathroom again, though, by the end of the summer!

I met so many wonderful Austrian people at the Baptist Conference this weekend. Especially some of the youth that I will see again at Jesus camp in July. I helped them with the Jugenderkonference (children's conference) on Saturday. We played games, and I made balloon animals for the children. It was so much fun, especially to see the excitement on their faces as I made a "lieufballoon" just for them! I managed to increase my German vocabulary in the process- learning various German words for animals the funniest was "schlonge" (pronounced shlong-a) for snake! I also got to work with Iris and Lukas, the two "superstars" of the youth group at the church here. I look forward to getting to know both of them, especially Lukas more closely. I met him when I was here before and was able to bring him two books of Praise and Worship music for his guitar - he was so excited! I hope that we can have a "jam session" or two at the church with me on Piano and he on his guitar. I think my craziness has helped many of the people I have met to open up to me quickly. As you know - I've never been one for shyness. The Austrian Baptist churches are small in number, only about 2000 total members, but this is wonderful, because they are like a family - everyone knows everyone! I'm glad to be adopted into that family!

I am trying hard to pick up some German here and there. I hope to know at least some come the end of the summer. We'll see. The grocery store has proven to be a good place for this! Plus i've been able to do some cooking on the side with the VERY limited kitchen at the church here in Steyr. There have been some difficult times, but overwhelming I feel like I am exactly where God wants me and can use me most. I pray that all I do is to His glory! I covet your prayers more than you know! I would ask that you pray specifically for me to learn the language as much as is necessary quickly and easily, and for me relationship with Lukas. I know that he needs someone to disciple him and I pray that I can be that example and help to him while I am here and even after I leave. We are all very tired from the weekend and still from travelling, but I know that the Lord will give us strength to carry on! On that note, and in closing, I'd like to share a verse that Robin, a missionary from Canada who is my age that I met this weekend at the conference, and who is staying in Linz, Austria, shared with me. I think that it really sums up how I feel right now:

"They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, 'Their hands will get too
weak for the work, and it will not be completed.'

But I prayed, 'Now strengthen my hands.' "

Nehemiah 6:9

May this be my prayer - that all that I do, say and think be from God's strength, wisdom and guidance in my life.

Auf Wiedershen, Tchüse, Bye-Bye

that's all.