Refugee Houses in Reutte

West to East and East to West to Prayer

Last week Em and I literally travelled  across the country from East to West.
Thursday Morning we drove East to Vienna to spend the weekend visiting some friends as well as taking the opportunity to buy some African Fruit and Veg. from a well known African shop there.

It was great introducing Emily to my Iteams Co-workers from Australia who are still based in the Oasis and good friends from America who work in Vienna in a Church plant.

A few weeks ago I got a text message from a friend who I studied at bible college with.
He was in Austria doing a course and at the end of it, he was staying with some Austrians who live in the most Western part of Austria, Vorarlberg.

I drove to catch up with him and catch up with him.
Alex is a single missionary in Portugal and up until this year I have been single, for close to the same time on the mission field. So we have faced some similar experiences on the field as single guys.

Alex mentioned that after 10 years on the field, a lot of our colleges who left for the field the same time we did, have since returned home for various reasons.
But I asked Alex  why does he think that we are still here why others have left.

• I think being single helps because you only need to worry and care about your own needs and health.
• Living in Europe is much easier, then living in a less developed country or one with a harsher climate.
• I think having realistic goals and being flexible. It took me a few years to learn this. But if you have these grand plans of what you are going to do in the new country, all these programs that you have spent hours to prepared.  And then they don't go as good as you had hoped or no one comes, it can be very disheartening. 
• I think being honest with people is also important. Missions is hard, Alex and I have found it hard being single guys on the Mission field. But one things is the we have been honest and said it is tough, there are expectations put on us because we have no family responsibilities, good natured people want to match us up even though we are not in a state were we want to be matched up. 
• A love for the work. I think if I did not have this deep love for the Refugees and see the amazing privilege it is to be in a place to share Jesus with these people that I would have left long time ago. As Missions is tough.
• Prayer after I had rattled of the list of why I think me and Alex are still here, Alex mentioned the main reason why we are still on the field. Prayer. Prayer from us to God. And the prayer from our churches and supporters who continue to hold us up in pray.

A month in photos

Willkommen Feier Emily

To weclome Emily to Austria I held a Welcome party for her. It was going to be held in the gardens outside the Intertreff centre here in Reutte but in the afternoon the weather was not being nice and it started to rain, meaning that the party had to be held inside Intertreff which I had written in an earlier post, gets a little cramped when more then 20 people at the moment try to fit in the main room.

It was a good mix of Austrian and refugees friends who came to the party, with the Austrians and Refugees mixing well together, as well as taking their chance to talk to Emily and welcome her to Austria.

I had asked some refugees to help me prepare the food. Rice made from Afghanistan and Somalia.
Beef and Goat meat marinated and BBQ'd by Emily and a Congolese and Mongolian woman.

A Brazilian woman bought a traditional dish, and some Austrians bought some dessert 

which gave the evening a good multicultural feel as well as some fantastic food to eat. 

Emily in the middle (in yellow) with some of the cooks of the evening.

always need to include a kids photo

Crossing the Mediterranean

Reading the paper this morning I came across this photo of 4 Africans being smuggled into Europe.

They had been put compartments under the floor of  a converted car, when the Spanish police found them, a woman was screaming for help because of the lack of air.

Last month,  in the Guardian Australia Newspaper there was a leak of abuses against Children that where happening in the Detention centres in Nauru. Manus Island Detention centre is being closed with those on the Island being offered residence there. Not in New Zealand who has offered to take them, this could be an incentive to begin the boats again. No Boats.  

That is pretty much all the news we are getting in Australia about the refugees. 

Across the Mediterranean sea increasing numbers of refugees and migrants are taking their chances abroad unseaworthy boats and dinghies in a desperate bid to reach Europe. The vast majority of those attempting this dangerous crossing are in need of international protection, fleeing war, violence and persecution in their country of origin.

in 2016.  289,374 people entered Europe by sea

                   3,173 dead/missing 

This month people in Australia are riding their bikes to raise money for Refugees.
Australia ride for Refugees set a goal of raising $125,00 dollars to go to among others things
to the Intertreff team in Reutte. As seen in the photo below ,when we get a small number of the 300 Asylum seekers that now live in the surrounding towns the room gets full.
The plan is to buy collapsable furniture so it will be easier to rearrange to maximise the space and fit the most people in that is comfortably possible.

Continue to pray for me and the Intertreff team, that we can stay focus on the vision that we have for Intertreff or come up with new visions to share the love of Jesus with the Syrians, Afghans, Iranians and other people who come as Refugees to Reutte.

Learning to be patient (again)

So here I am. Waiting in Franz Josef Strauss Airport with a bunch of flowers in my hand.
On the 15th of August Emily came with all her life packed in two suitcases to begin our new part of our lives as a married couple in Austria. It was almost torture waiting for her. The monitors announced that the plane had landed, Crowding of people waiting for others to come through the sliding doors of the entry hall, were blocking my view of spotting Emily.
You think after close to 40 years of being single, 4 years of knowing her and 8 months of being married but having to  still wait through the visa process. You would think that I would be okay to wait that little bit longer for Em to come.

In the first few weeks Emily has been able to pick up her Residents permit  from the Austrian Government and register as having a fixed address in Austria.  Next Emily will continue learning German after she started an intensive German course why still living in Nairobi.

But still I feel this urgency to rush, to have everything worked out.
A time to come visit Australia.
A German course for Em to slip into.
Friends for Em
A strong marriage like those celebrating their 10 Year wedding Anniversary, when we have been living together for only three weeks.

My prayer is that as me and Em get to know each other in marriage that we will continue to grow closer to God.

I guess my prayer should also continue to be patient and wait on the Lord.

No African dress for me

Because I stayed in Kenya a little longer than I expected their were a few days where Emily had to work, living me alone to fill in the day. Wanting to escape the hotel room in Nairobi with it's television repeats and after reading all 3 books that I have bought with me. I travelled a bit around town using the public buses and ate at a few family owned restaurants to the amusement of  the locals. A school girl in year 11 saying that I was the first white person she had ever seen on a bus.
And the owner of the Restaurant amazed that I was eating my food like an African.
To be honest sometimes I forget that I was white, while on the bus or in a Restaurant with all dark skinned people I lost the awareness that I was the one not like the others.

 But on the streets the little kids would point and shout "white person", "white person."

You where soon reminded who you really where.