Who are these kids at ICSV...

I realize that it has been quite a while since our last post. Much has happened during the course of this transition. While there have been huge struggles, God has been faithful keeping us going and providing so many opportunities here in Vienna. There is so much to share, but I will try to keep it somewhat brief…

Our Transition

Praise God, our transition has been relatively smooth. There have been some struggles, especially within the context of our interaction with neighbors, but for the most part we have been enjoying the many new adventures. The apartment building that we live in is about 12-15 minutes away using the U-Bahn, and 15-20 minutes by foot. There are two school families (Beth & Josh Wells and the Reynolds family) who live on the floor below us, and the elementary principal (John) lives on our floor. Also, there is a family (Thomas and Mollie Gardener…along with their two boys Thad and Ian) in the next building over. We have spent a lot of time with the Wells and the Gardeners and have felt very welcomed and blessed by their friendship. Their open hearts have definitely helped in this process. Justin is doing well in his transition. Many of the staff here have commented on how well he has been able to handle the many changes. While there have certainly been some rough days (for Rebecca and I as well), overall I am so proud of how he has continued to adapt to the new ways of doing things.

Our Work

The last two weeks have been focused on getting us acclimated to the school culture at ICSV...It has been a bit tedious to have to be in meetings all day for the last week and a half, but it has been interesting to get a better idea of the school culture here.

I finally have a clear understanding of my teaching responsibilities!! I will be teaching AP Lit, 12th English - Brit Lit, 10th English-World Lit (regular and honors). Four separate classes to prep for...fortunately, the administration has chosen to only give me these four classes. We are on a 7 period day, so this means that I will have 3 free periods in order to plan and grade. Not a bad deal....

I am super excited for these new classes. With five days to go until the beginning of school, I have all my syllabi written, 2 novels read, 3 novels in the process of reading, and the first week planned for all 4 courses. Not too shabby! 

Rebecca has started her training to be the secondary secretary. She seems to be fitting in really well, and I am expecting that she is gonna blow the socks off the rest of the office staff and administration as she is a pro!

VCS is no more....ICSV is where its at!

I would like to take up some space to explain the current situation at the school...not bad, don't worry. :)

First...the financial and visa situations

The last couple of years have been a pretty tumultuous time for the administration, board, and staff of the school. In summary, the visa situation and the connected taxation consequences, had been threatening to close the school. Even to the point of expecting the school to be locked and barricaded by the authorities...

Essentially, the school was at the mercy of the Austrian government, and it was publicly portrayed that the school was evading taxes. Well, by God's Grace, this situation is now under control. All unpaid tax burdens incurred by staff past and present have been paid by the school and all teachers are able to be covered under a solid work visa. 

This work visa means that we are legally allowed to be employed in Austria...it also means that we are officially employed by an Austrian school, which results in the fact that we are taxed (and required to be paid) at amounts equal to native Austrian teachers. This has huge ramifications; the school is basically in the position where they must subsidize our salaries in order to keep us here. This also means that our support levels are that much more important. In the past, teachers have been able to cut their salaries to a level more consistent with their support levels. Not so much anymore. They HAVE to pay us a certain amount. That being said, it is still a pretty much what we were expecting, this just means that we are unable to cut our salary any lower.

Second...the new direction and vision of the school

As many of you may have noticed, the school is now called The International Christian School of Vienna or ICSV. The school board has decided on this change to better reflect the international focus and reality of our school. While the school was founded to meet the needs of missionary families, the missionary community in Vienna (and neighboring region) is now much smaller. As a result, the school has reached out to the international community. But most of you know this. :)

The name change came about in order to place ourselves in a much more competitive position in regards to attracting students from the international community. Currently there are 210 students from over 40 nations represented on the campus...We are by far the smallest school in the Vienna area (there are 3 other international schools serving Vienna). We are by far the least expensive option. And most importantly, we are the ONLY CHRISTIAN, K-12 SCHOOL IN ALL OF AUSTRIA. In addition to the increased focus on international students, there has also been an increased percentage of the students who are Austrians searching for a better educational option.

We believe that God has placed ICSV in Vienna to do amazing work in the world. I am awed by the opportunities we have to witness and minister to kids from around the world. I am humbled that God has chosen US to be His servants in this ministry.

I hope that this helps you get a better idea of the ministry here in Vienna. To those of you who have been actively supporting us in prayer and/finances, THANK YOU for your faithfulness. To those of you who have not felt led or able to join our financial support team, we ask that you prayerfully consider (or reconsider) doing so. 

I hope you all are encouraged by this...please, if there are any prayer concerns that you would like to share with us, please do so. We'd love to lift you up in prayer. 

We'd also love to hear from you...we're on skype at randmjohnstone!

Auf Wiedersehen!