Johnstein!

I am sure that this will add to the flurry of Thanksgiving related posts scattered on the interwebs...but here it goes. This drastic change in our lives has definitely helped us to focus on all these things that we are truly thankful for. An obvious part of this move to serve in Vienna has been leaving our friends and family in the states. It is amazing what distance will do to remind you how grateful you are to have someone in your life. We are so thankful for all of you who have supported us in this transition. Rebecca and I were talking recently about how much supportive emails, notes, and packages have meant during this time of transition...Thank you! We are also especially thankful for the wonderful love and support that has been shown to us by our new family of friends here in Vienna. We have been accepted into their families and this has definitely helped us in our transition. I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve God in this place. My expectations of wh...

The day before this picture was taken, all of this student's teachers gathered together for a meeting with his mom. This t-shirt was his response. I'd say the meeting went well. Please pray as he and I are now meeting once a week to work on prioritizing correctly so he can continue to improve in his studies...and stay true to his shirt.

Hey everyone...I have had the great honor of being asked to write for a blog that a few of the guys I work with started a couple of years ago. Well, not so much "asked"...but I wrote something for it anyways! ;) Layzmen Blog I hope you enjoy...and feel free to get involved in the discussion! - Michael

I have found that my “devotional life” is one of my greatest spiritual struggles on the mission field. Fortunately, there are many sources of assistance that we are able to turn to. Over the last year or so, I have been working through a sequential devotional book and receiving devotions via email. I received a copy of “I Lift Up My Soul” from a book review club I joined recently. Obviously, I haven’t gone through each day, but I have been using this during my devotional time for about a week. The basic layout is similar to many devotional books that I have had he opportunity to read, but I did appreciate that is “forces” you to use your Bible. Shocking, I know. Most devotionals insert the focus verse without any context. Dr. Stanley directs you to turn to Scripture first, and then provides a quick and thought provoking story or explanation that helps the reader truly interact with God’s holy Word. One thing that I really appreciate in this devotional is that each day’s study is ...

Today (Nov 10) is Justin's birthday. Obviously, the birthday of your child holds a special meaning. Over the course of the last three days, I have been reminded of how exciting a birthday truly is. His excitement reminds me of the excitement we felt in anticipation of his birth, and, I think the excitement that God feels as his children enter into relationship with HIM. Justin seems to think that we will forget that today is his birthday. I base this on the simple fact that he has reminded us no less than 5 times/day since Sunday. I'm not sure exactly why, he hasn't quite been this excited about his birthday in the past; maybe it has something to do with this being the first birthday in Austria...I'm just not sure. But the joy that he carries (and expects from everyone around him) in anticipation of this day is a bit infectious. As many of you are aware, Justin was born in the middle of our senior year in high school. We were so emotionally unprepared (being so youn...

We had a pretty amazing opportunity with the school yesterday. The bands Good Weather Forecast (GWF) and The Insyderz came to Vienna and ICSV to put on an assembly at the school, and then play a show that night. This ended up being more than just a great concert...it was a great opportunity for the kids at ICSV to be ministered to in ways that us teachers could imagine. This all came together at the last minute. The Insyderz were/are one of my favorite bands from my high school days. I noticed on Facebook that they were gonna be in Germany this week, and after realizing that there would be no way to get to any of their shows, I sent an email to their drummer asking if they'd be interested in scheduling a quick stop in Vienna. To my surprise, they said they would love to! This set off a whirl-whind of planning and promotion. Oh, I forgot to mention, this all happened/started exactly 11 days ago! They agreed to not only play a show, but to also come to the school in the morning and...