Tourist No More

Hello lovely readers :)

Just wanted to drop a quick update and list a few prayer requests. It's hard to believe that there are only a few weeks left of the Vienna OMP/internship. Vienna has felt more and more like home as the weeks have passed. One of the interns, Amanda, and I had a discussion last night about how us interns are certainly not locals, but we are also not tourists anymore. I had this realization last Saturday while walking through Hofburg Palace. Just as a guide, I was walking through this:

Eyes straight ahead, I brushed past people gawking at the dome above and wove back and forth between multiple tourist groups. I realized that I was no longer the one gawking, the one taking pictures, the one stopping to take in the beauty that surrounded me. I was choosing to walk this way not really because of this spectacular piece of architecture, but because it was the quickest way to get to a cafe for lunch. Such mannerisms echo a women's thoughts I heard this past Wednesday, one who has lived her whole life in Vienna: when you are constantly surrounded by beauty you sometimes forget that what surrounds you is beautiful.

In a sense, beauty can easily be taken for granted.

This will certainly be difficult for me to do in the next few days. Starting tomorrow until Friday, we will be staying with the pastor's family and two of their friends from WHM in Schladming, Austria for a discipleship retreat:

Here are some prompts for prayer if you feel led:

• safety in our travels there, during our stay, and back. We are taking two 7 passenger vans - flash back to youth group camp anyone?

• for our hearts to be open to what God will say through Jeff (the WHM leader of the discipleship retreat), through His creation, through one another, and anything/one else.

• for the fruit of the Spirit to increase as God continues to prune us, just as he has throughout this trip.

• an awareness of the Father's heart

• for me specifically, this will be one of the first times I will have to begin to process what has happened during my internship. pray for discernment of spirits, clarity, and wisdom as I begin to intentionally process my experience here thus far.

• for everyone going to love themselves and one another well

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Last Saturday I finally got a chance to check out the Museum of Fine Arts :) I took in the wonderful art work for about three hours and during this time I felt that God was pointing out specific pieces to me and revealing more about himself through them. Here are some that especially spoke to me:

Learning From Children

It's been about two weeks since the English Camp at New City Wien and I am still processing the many things the Lord did through the camp and the things that I learned. I hope to be able to share a taste of that in this post.

Although this camp was called "English Camp", the main goals of it did not include teaching the children English. This might seem odd, but in the Kingdom, there are different priorities. The main goal of the camp was to love these kids. Shortly before the camp started, Brad shared with the adult helpers how these kids are coming from a school system in which shame is used for discipline and teaching correct behavior. The outgrowth of this is children being guilted into doing things and not loved into doing things. The first day there were some children who did not want to leave their parents (this reminded me of myself when I was young), but by the end of the second day, many children did not want to leave when their parents came to pick them up. This is unheard of for a vast majority of children's programs in the city. Parents were shocked that their children received a small prize at the end of the day and even more astounded on the days when they found their children with elaborate face painting and holding balloon animals.

The camp was split into two groups: 5-7 year olds and 8-12 year olds. I worked primarily with the younger group and as a result, one of the challenges was the language barrier (the older group knew a lot more English because kids learn English in school as well). One of the most helpless and defeating moments is to have a child look at you, say a simple four word sentence, and have no idea what they are saying or asking for. The children's responses in these situations, however, was remarkable. They were patient enough to repeat themselves, to ask again and again without getting upset, and beam with acceptance and appreciation when someone finally got their simple little sentence. How patient am I in seeking mutual understanding and learning?

Being around children constantly for a week gave me a new lens to see the adult world through as well. We adults are in many ways just big kids. Watching kids playing/talking in the park and comparing this to adults joking around/talking in the subway has many overlapping components especially in regards to our needs, wants, and desires. I could also go the other way and look at adults, wonder about why they do/think the way they do and then postulate what their formative childhood years were like. No wonder why Jesus wanted the little children to come to him and be blessed - adults are afterall merely children who have grown.

Tobias with his balloon sword

Felix and Sarah inquisitively studying the facepainting

Maxima getting butterflies everywhere

Leonie's a mermaid

Kids getting their prize at the end of the day

Last day group shot with their English children's Bibles

Every Tuesday night is "family night" where us interns, the pastor's family, and the two year intern spend the evening together having dinner, playing games, etc. A night dedicated to this is a testament to the emphasis on community here, which is something I hope to replicate in the future. Tonight we are having dinner at the pastor's home and then watching The Sound of Music - a must since we are in Austria afterall!! Here is my absolute favorite scene from the movie :) I used to dance around singing this as a kid. Enjoy!

Almost Just Another Day

This week, New City Wien is hosting an English Camp for 40 Austrian children (ages 5-12). Brad Hunter, the pastor of New City Wien, describes it as a VBS (Vacation Bible School) on steroids. After two days I definitely agree with him :) The task of doing this camp is extremely less burdensome, however, because a group from the Hunter's church in America is here this week to help out with the camp (thank you Jesus)!! Twenty-three adults with forty children is much smoother than eight adults with forty children! This also means that the kids have more opportunities to have one-on-one time with an adult.

English Camp is one of the main events for this summer as an intern and it is one of the main events the church puts on annually. A vast majority of the children come from non-Christian homes, which makes this week a wonderful opportunity for ministering to these children and families. One example of this comes from testimonies of past English Camps. Several parents have commented how well loved their children are at this camp. I have witnessed this in small ways already this week - when parents come to pick up their children, many don't want to leave. I will share more stories, videos, and pictures about English camp later this week!

Ways you can pray with us for English Camp:

• rest for the adults not just for our own comfort's sake, but so that we can invest our whole selves into these kids lives!

• for the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Bible lessons for the children. The public schools in Austria have a Christianity class, but it's more for culture's sake than anything else. Pray for ears to hear and eyes to see both for those who are hearing these stories for the first time and for those who are hearing them again.

• Thursday night some of us will be going to the home of an English Camp participant. Pray that this family sees a reflection of the Father during our time with them and that we might have a dialogue about faith.

Yesterday would have felt like any other day had I not been in Austria with so many other Americans. It was the best 4th of July I have had outside of the USA :). Yesterday was also the first day that I have felt homesick since arriving - the 4th is second to Christmas on my favorite holiday list. Last night we had a cookout at the Hunter's apartment (hot dogs, brats, cheese wursts, and cheese wursts wrapped in bacon), had TWO American flag cakes (one regular and one ice cream), ate way too much, and best of all, sang the Star Spangled Banner loud and proud while four fountain candles were going off on one of the cakes!! It's not the 4th of July for me unless I smell some sulfur in the air. This is because during the week of the 4th, I usually watch and take part in at least three fireworks shows. Below is a video of my Dad lighting off aerial shells at an annual get-together in Wisconsin with his "fireworks buddies".

I hope everyone's 4th of July celebrations were wonderful!!