Apart from being thankful to God for bringing us to Vienna, we are going to celebrate the holiday as traditionally as possible! Many people have asked us how we are going to celebrate Thanksgiving and if we can find all the little things we traditionally eat. Here is what is planned so far!
Our turkey is coming from a store that has fresh turkeys which they 'prepare' the day you want it. I have a friend with a car who is bringing me a fresh turkey. I haven't made my own turkey in years so am hoping I can do it right. If you have ever been in Europe you know that ovens are about 1/3 smaller than US ovens. So my turkey is smaller, too. I am going to a chicken in the crock pot as well since we are having 7 students join us.
Another tradition in our family is "Pear Salad" but it is made with Cool Whip. Hopefully the real whipping cream will hold up in this recipe.
Am making my own creamed corn today so I can make corn casserole. There is no Jiffy muffin mix, so am making that from scratch as well.
I have to make Cream of Mushroom soup from a powdered mix in order to make Green Bean Casserole. I did find onions---baked and fried....I got a package of both because I wasn't sure which one tastes most like what we are used to.
I bought a small pumpkin to make pumpkin pie. I stewed it up last night and today I will puree it. I am going shopping today to look for lard to make the pie crust. Forgot that yesterday when I was shopping. Sarah makes an awesome Apple Pie and so we are going to bake pies on Wednesday afternoon.
My family loves my homemade rolls, but with all the other 'homemade' elements to this dinner we are going to enjoy the wonderful Austrian fresh baked bread which they do famously! I think we will have croissants!
We will serve Almdudler for drinks. The kids love it. It is like an herbed ginger apple sparkling drink....hard to describe! But it is the national drink of Austria. If you cross Ginger Ale with Apple Juice you might get close to the taste.
Stay tuned for pictures!
Thanks be to God for His indescribablel gifts! Salvation, Jesus, Eternal life, Love that never ends, Family, Friends, Ministry
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
God speaks
We have often wondered what God is doing and where he is leading on a personal level.....and we know that 95% of what needs to happen is internal character, and spiritual growth and becoming more like Christ as revealed in the Word of God, and yet this activity happens on earth in the physical realm. This is where every choice is played out. If we are to get to heaven to hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant", then earth and now is where each choice counts!
Our family made a choice to investigate going to Vienna and here we are. We made this choice within our relationship with our dynamic God. We wondered if He would do for us what He has done for other missionaries or if would we fall flat. We hoped, wished, prayed and internally agonized, but we did not stop. We took the next step, then we took the next step, then the next. We "walked" our way to Vienna by small steps.
Even after arriving, we have wondered, will we be able to stay? Will the support come in that we underestimated that we needed? Does God see us? Is He for us? We would now need to make a choice....ask Him and His people for help or realize that this is no longer humanly feasible and just head back home to a waiting church and our comfortable home and two cars in storage and a regular income.
Through many late night talks, prayers of surrender and supplication, encouragement from fellow believers and co-laborers here in Vienna and other places, we chose to ask. That was a hard choice. We have heard of and experienced the recession in the States. We know it is painfully real to many families whose hours are cut back, who have lost jobs and houses. But we can choose once again to look at the first 6 feet of what is happening on earth or we can look to the Lord in heaven who is above any recession. A choice...will He speak or act on our behalf? By faith, we have been knocking at his door. Thankfully he is not a disinterested official. He is teaching us so much more about His direct involvement in our faith or fear, our choices to give in or push through. The needs we must see provided for by Dec. 1st --human deadline--are arriving in the most unusual ways that they are obviously of God's divine providence. We are humbled to our knees by those God has led to give directly to us to meet the needs that are inherent for a family of five living in Vienna Austria.
I was talking with someone recently about other mission fields. Hungary has a lower cost of living and hence all the missionaries live above the standards of the Hungarian people. Austria is much more expensive and all the missionaries live below the standard of living of most other Austrians....hand me down furniture and appliances, no cars, no amenities, no going to movies since they are too expensive...sometimes giving up the little things in life. So the irony is that it costs more to live here but we get less physical goods for the dollar. Is it wrong to be here, then? By no means! Austria is so spiritually needy! They have everything, but nothing! Vienna is 60% international! only 40% of Vienna is Viennese! So we are here and praying for the city and the country for God to crack through the tough exterior. And we are serving a school unlike any other for hours around. The international community consisting of many Muslim nations are available to reach here. It is legal to share one's faith in Austria with a Muslim! So we are praying for opportunities to abound to do that here.
God speaks! He leads! He answers!
Our family made a choice to investigate going to Vienna and here we are. We made this choice within our relationship with our dynamic God. We wondered if He would do for us what He has done for other missionaries or if would we fall flat. We hoped, wished, prayed and internally agonized, but we did not stop. We took the next step, then we took the next step, then the next. We "walked" our way to Vienna by small steps.
Even after arriving, we have wondered, will we be able to stay? Will the support come in that we underestimated that we needed? Does God see us? Is He for us? We would now need to make a choice....ask Him and His people for help or realize that this is no longer humanly feasible and just head back home to a waiting church and our comfortable home and two cars in storage and a regular income.
Through many late night talks, prayers of surrender and supplication, encouragement from fellow believers and co-laborers here in Vienna and other places, we chose to ask. That was a hard choice. We have heard of and experienced the recession in the States. We know it is painfully real to many families whose hours are cut back, who have lost jobs and houses. But we can choose once again to look at the first 6 feet of what is happening on earth or we can look to the Lord in heaven who is above any recession. A choice...will He speak or act on our behalf? By faith, we have been knocking at his door. Thankfully he is not a disinterested official. He is teaching us so much more about His direct involvement in our faith or fear, our choices to give in or push through. The needs we must see provided for by Dec. 1st --human deadline--are arriving in the most unusual ways that they are obviously of God's divine providence. We are humbled to our knees by those God has led to give directly to us to meet the needs that are inherent for a family of five living in Vienna Austria.
I was talking with someone recently about other mission fields. Hungary has a lower cost of living and hence all the missionaries live above the standards of the Hungarian people. Austria is much more expensive and all the missionaries live below the standard of living of most other Austrians....hand me down furniture and appliances, no cars, no amenities, no going to movies since they are too expensive...sometimes giving up the little things in life. So the irony is that it costs more to live here but we get less physical goods for the dollar. Is it wrong to be here, then? By no means! Austria is so spiritually needy! They have everything, but nothing! Vienna is 60% international! only 40% of Vienna is Viennese! So we are here and praying for the city and the country for God to crack through the tough exterior. And we are serving a school unlike any other for hours around. The international community consisting of many Muslim nations are available to reach here. It is legal to share one's faith in Austria with a Muslim! So we are praying for opportunities to abound to do that here.
God speaks! He leads! He answers!
Friday, November 6, 2009
A Bit of a Rant
I have heard from well meaning people the phrase, "When God closes a door he always opens a window" ---I must disagree!
1. The only times people went through windows in the Bible is when they were escaping for their lives! (the two spies and Paul)
2. God is big enough to open doors...and then more doors...and then more doors. He opens DOORS!
3. Windows are for passively looking out, not real ministry.
4. Doors are for walking through bravely or for knocking on! If the door is shut keep knocking! Or go find another door. Don't go squeeze through a window!
5. If ministry is what God is doing, why then would he only allow for a window to be opened...
6. The "windows" idea is a way to second guess a God who is small and limited. They have not read much of the Word where the glory of the Lord fills the temple! And God laughs at the nations! And the earth is his footstool. And He created the universe with a word!
1. The only times people went through windows in the Bible is when they were escaping for their lives! (the two spies and Paul)
2. God is big enough to open doors...and then more doors...and then more doors. He opens DOORS!
3. Windows are for passively looking out, not real ministry.
4. Doors are for walking through bravely or for knocking on! If the door is shut keep knocking! Or go find another door. Don't go squeeze through a window!
5. If ministry is what God is doing, why then would he only allow for a window to be opened...
6. The "windows" idea is a way to second guess a God who is small and limited. They have not read much of the Word where the glory of the Lord fills the temple! And God laughs at the nations! And the earth is his footstool. And He created the universe with a word!
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