New Beginnings

It has already been one month. In some ways, it seems like it was just yesterday that we left, and in other ways, it feels like we have already been here for a month. Our trip was very nice and easy. We did not have any major problems, and Christoph’s family gave us a warm reception here. We are settled in our new apartment now. It is amazing how friends and family have pooled together to provide us with almost everything that we could possibly need. We have a roof over our head, and food in the fridge, and we have heat! (This Texas girl is very excited about the latter!)

The scenery is very beautiful & different from the open skies of Texas. It is very cozy, almost like living in a snow globe. Every couple of days, it’s shaken up, there are a few snow flurries, but everything always settles back down, and goes back to life as usual. People still ride their bikes, or walk everywhere, even if it is cold.

I am so thankful that God gives us fresh starts and new beginnings. If you have a bad day, you can always rest and start over again fresh the next morning. We get a fresh start every week in the Lord’s house. Now we are beginning a new year, a new month, in a new place, with new challenges.


Church


Sometimes I think we take church for granted back home. Atleast, I know we take central heat and air for granted! I don’t think that there is a single church here that is heated! Everyone keeps their winter coats on during services, and you can even see your breath, yes, it’s that cold! We can’t wait until God shows us the church he wants us to be a part of.

Right now we are trying to find a Baptist church. Whereas in East Texas, you can drive down the street and choose from several varieties of Baptist churches, here we do not have that luxury. We were invited by my sister-in-law, to visit the local Catholic church to see my nephew’s kindergarten perform a few songs. Being my first time in a Catholic church and in a new language, I was so confused on when to stand up and when to sit down! But, I think it was good to get a perspective on how most of the people around here view “church”.

One Sunday we got up and drove 20 minutes , to visit and Evangelisch Church; which did not turn out to be really what we were looking for. It is a lot harder to find a church here. Churches that are not Catholic are not advertised, and the local people do not know of anything other than the large Cathedral centrally located in their small towns. This morning, we were asked us where we were going so early this morning. We told her that we were driving to another town for church. “Why would you do that when you have a perfectly beautiful church here?” It is going to take some time to explain our beliefs to people. We are hoping that this will open up many doors to share the gospel with people.

We got some very encouraging news today, and Christoph and I are very excited! We had emailed two Baptist pastors. They are pastors of Baptist churches in the Salzburg and Linz areas, both located about an hour away in opposite directions. They both had mentioned a group of brothers in the Braunau area. After some more research, we finally found them! On their website, it lists what they believe, which lines up with our beliefs. You could read the excitement in the words on the page, they are building a new church, and can't wait to see what the Lord is going to do with it. We are both thrilled with this news, and cannot wait to visit this Sunday. They meet Sunday mornings, and Wednesday nights. We have also located another Free Church in Ried, which is also about 20 minutes away. We will see. Continue to be in prayer about us finding a church home. We are excited to see what God has in store for us regarding a church. We miss serving, and can’t wait to roll up our sleeves!



Work & Life


I am so glad that God is God, and that He has control of our lives. He has given Christoph a peculiar job in this area. Christoph is making pizzas and helping in a local Greek/Italian restaurant. It just opened in January, and is owned by two Greek brothers. The restaurant is within walking distance to the house, and pays exactly (to the penny) what we had prayed for. But it is definitely the place where we are supposed to be. The door has already been opened on more than one occasion for Christoph to share Christ with the owners—and it has only been four weeks! We are so excited about the coming weeks and months! Please be in prayer for the hearts of his co-workers, that more opportunities will come, and that they will be sensitive to the Spirit!

I look forward to Language School every week. It is for foreigners to learn German and integrate into the life and culture here in Austria. My teacher is very nice and patient. I share the class with 6 other students-four from Turkey, 1 from Czech Republic, & 1 from Kosovo. Please be in prayer that I pick up the language fast. The sooner I can carry on a conversation, the better relationships I can build with the women here.

It is often tradition here for people to sit around and visit over a cup of coffee for hours! We drink approximately 4 to 5 cups of coffee on any given day. People will drive to a destination for a good cup of coffee, and pay a premium for it too! But the conversations and the relationships that you can build over a simple cup of Jo are priceless! Please pray that God will use a simple cup of coffee as a tool for His love to be shared with friends and family.