End of the first full day of PFO

We had a fantastic day today...even though we really haven't started with any of our sessions, the last few hours have been extremely encouraging. Its great to be able to hang out and spend time with other families who are in essentially the same position as we are...we are facing many of the same challenges, carrying many of the same burdens, and processing many of the same changes to our lives.

We started out the day with breakfast with the Overby family...the are also heading to serve in Vienna, and it has been a great joy to get to know Joe, Channon, and their three kids Nathan, Bethany, and Caylah...Nathan and Justin are the same age and will be in the same class at ICSV. We have also made new friends in the the Basnett family; Dan, Missy, Dalton, and Gracen...Dalton, their son, is also Justin's age. They will be serving in Taiwan.

We have also spent time with Amanda Howard, another teacher heading to Vienna, and had some time to talk with Katie, a teacher who spent the last year at ICSV but hadn't been able to attend last year's PFO...we all have been peppering her with questions; especially since we will be living in the same apartment that she lived in all of last year...

As I write this, a thunderstorm has popped up: second day in a row with rain...no wonder its so green around here...

And now, for some pictures from today's activities...

Justin on his "bed". He was so tired last night, he fell asleep before getting to his room.

The view from our window...

Walking to church this morning

Walking UP the hill to get to the cafeteria and our meeting location.

A memorial to the citizens of the town who perished in the Civil War

Some of our fellow PFO participants (Channon and Joe are on the left of this picture)

View of some of the class buildings and the common area outside the student center and cafeteria

Justin and Dalton waiting for the caf to open for dinner...

Comments

Who are these kids at ICSV...

Hi everyone... The first week and a half of school has been absolutely amazing! We have had some great opportunities to begin building lasting relationships with the students that God has brought to Vienna to be educated at the International Christian School of Vienna. Rebecca has been adjusting well to her role as secondary secretary. She is learning quickly the many demands of her new role and is doing quite well in supporting us teachers and the rest of the staff. Rebecca hard at work I have been really enjoying my classes. I have a total of 43 students spread out over 4 periods. The students I have represent 14 different home nations, with many of the students who are "Austrian" are first generation, so they are of other nationalities as well. I have also had the opportunity to begin working with the soccer team...again, many nationalities are represented on the field, truly an international squad. Here are some pictures of the team training at the local club

Almost a Year - A reflective poem by Rebecca

It’s been almost a year since we got on the plane. Knowing that we were leaving friends and family; we would never be the same. What has it been like leaving everything we know? Laughter and tears; sun and snow. Up and down; love and fear. All while trusting God for the reason we are here. Relying on support and prayers from the ones you care for, Though scary, freeing, challenging; it means relying on God even more. I’m so thankful to be part of a team who sees that Christ is our need Whether they can see the impact first hand or not, they have blessed students at ICSV. The students and families are so precious, eager to learn and understand What it means to love the Lord with all their hearts and to follow His command. At times I feel so left alone and wondering why God has called me here But then I talk to a student, or go to a school event, that’s when it all becomes clear. God never said life would be easy or even how we think it might be We just need to rely on Him, as He

Clowns and Hospitals

Many of you might remember the 1998 film starring Robin Williams that chronicled the early career of Hunter "Patch" Adams. He began using humor as therapy in his sessions and opened a free hospital in West Virginia. Here is a clip from the film... Fast forward 13 years to a hospital in Vienna, Austria...to a children's surgery ward. As we were sitting talking with some visitors we noticed Justin had more visitors... They proceeded to hand out musical instruments; here's the problem...this was less than 12 hours after Justin's surgery. It really hurt him to laugh at this point...and he still felt horrible After that nonsense, the clowns made 2 more appearances; once when they delivered lunch, and once later in the day when we had our friend Tom Mason visiting. Tom is a fellow missionary serving as a pastor at a local church and a teacher at ICSV. He is also a amateur magician. Pictures of him doing tricks have found their way onto this blog

Johnstein!

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