Prayer Requests from Vienna!

Hi everyone!

We hope you are all doing well. We are just about to head out on our very first ICSV staff retreat! We will be going to a retreat center run by one of the local churches in Vienna. As we prepare to leave, there are a couple of things that we would love to have you, our prayer support team, lift up to our Savior.

1. Safe travels for the staff this weekend. Also, that we will have a Spirit led, Christ-centered time of devotion and fellowship.

2. One of Michael's students, Max, had to miss school today (Friday) because he had to travel to Germany to be with his father. His father has become very ill. God has put this student on our hearts for a variety of reasons. Just yesterday, during a presentation about his culture, he told the class that he is an atheist, but being at ICSV has got him thinking that maybe God DOES exist! This young man is searching and aching for God's Grace. Please pray that he will be open to the Spirit's lead and that Max will experiences God's presence in this time of trial.

3. The secondary school part of ICSV will be having a Spiritual Emphasis Week next week. Please pray for our chaplain and the guest speakers as they present the story of God's Grace and healing. Pray that the many students we have who are not saved will begin to search after salvation and be open to the message of the Gospel! Look for more information about this upcoming event on our blog next week.

Thanks again for all the support and prayers. Please let us know if there is anything you need prayer for. We love you all!

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!

Search This Blog