Slovakia

Slovakia is scary ...

Details to follow.

Okay, this is the updated version of the original post. So Slovakia isn't as scary as I thought. Half of it was lovely and the other half was ... well, not lovely. I arrived early in Bratislava where I met a lady from the office there (she is wonderful. I don't know what I would have done without her!) and we traveled to Bystrica. The ride there was absolutely beautiful - fields and fields of wildflowers and poppies. Everything was green - it felt just like Pennsylvania. Actually, if I didn't know where I was, I would have guessed I was in Pennsylvania!

So here's where I need to put in a little blurb for those considering traveling in Europe for the first time: The only thing you need to travel is 1) money 2) Some sort of soap or cleansing product and 3) A nalgene bottle. For real, that's it. Money to get around, soap so you can live with yourself (and others) and water (because it's the essence of moisture and moisture is the essence of beauty - guess the movie quote). Why am I telling you this? Because I packed a 30 pound bag and hiked around Europe for four days. Do you know what I'm doing now? Nothing, because I'm so sore I can't move. I have never been more miserable in my entire life. I packed a laptop - A LAPTOP, PEOPLE! Why would I ever need a laptop to travel?! So you can guess what I'm taking on my next trip (hint: only three things).

Anyway, Alenka (who is the loveliest young woman ever) and I got to Bystrica in the early afternoon and we spent the day photographing and traveling around the city. It was a very picturesque town and we were able to get some great shots of the people there. We stayed in a YMCA hostel there and when we got back after a night shoot, the key wouldn't work, so we tried it for almost an hour and then we ended up breaking in. That's right ... Claire Riss broke into a YMCA hostel. I'm not proud of it, but we couldn't sleep on the street.

So the next morning we traveled about an hour to Zvolen and took photos of the city center there. We got to go to Zvolensky castle and take pictures from the top which was incredible, but they were setting up for a music festival inside, so we didn't get to see much.

Later in the day we traveled back to Bratislava, spent the night there and then left the next morning for Brno in the Czech Republic. We spent the day at the TWR office there interviewing and taking photos. The team there was really a blessing to us and it was very special for me to visit with them for just a day. It was so touching to hear their take on the ministry there. They work under very hard conditions, but they're all family and they care for one another is such a wonderful way. I saw that right away before they even talked about it in the interviews. So we spent the night there in their guest flat and the next morning we came back to Bratislava and then I traveled back to Vienna.

There it is in a nut shell. It's a very condensed version. There's really so much that happened and this trip had a lot of spiritual significance for me, but it would be impossible to write it all. I was able to spend precious time with the Lord during all of the train and bus time and I did a lot of "soul searching" (for lack of a better phrase) in the past four days. My heart and head is still trying to process everything, but I think I returned to Vienna changed in some way. Sorry, this doesn't really make sense!

So I will spare you the ramblings and if you want to know anything more specific, shoot me an email! But for now it's movie time with my very new, very lovely roommate! Woo-hoo! Thanks for reading! Ciao!

I Don't Know What To Call This Post

Hey guys! I hope you all had a great weekend and that you're ready for a brand new week! Yesterday I got to go to Lichtenstein castle, a street fair (like a flea market) and the Donauinselfest on the Danube. Donauinselfest is the biggest open air music festival in Europe. Billy Idol was there, but I didn't get to see him (Mo' mo' mo' ... mo' mo' MO'!) I did see Amy McDonald with a friend though. It was the first I've heard her and she was pretty good! There were so many people, we were literally packed in like sardines.

My friend Heike and I managed to catch a train back at the very last second, but when we stepped in it was so full that no one could move. When the train started moving, we all swayed in one big mass - like matches in a matchbox. All I could see was a man's torso two inches in front of me and I was very glad when people started to get off! On our way to the subway, we slid down a hill (we thought we'd try and beat the crowd by going down the hill), but we didn't see that the hill was pure dust. I left a trail of black foot marks all through my apartment on the way to the bathroom :}

It was really refreshing to spend time with someone closer to my age and to just be able to talk. Heike is from Manheim in Germany and she joined TWR only about 6 months ago. Her family members aren't believers, so it's hard for them to understand why she wants to be a missionary. I realize that I really take a supportive family for granted. I couldn't do it without them. Pray for Heike and her family - that they would see and understand her passion to serve the Lord with TWR and that she would have wisdom and strength as she continues to be a testimony.

I forgot that I told you I'd put put up pictures of the castle, so here they are!

You can see more on Facebook too :) I'll be in Slovakia and the Czech Republic this week too, so hopefully I can gets some good snaps there. Pray for that if you think about it. I'll be interviewing and taking photos with the TWR offices there. I'm very grateful to be working with another journalist who speaks Slovak!

I'm not sure how much blogging I'll be able to do, so I might have to check in later in the week.

Okay, I'm signing off and going to pack. Have a great week! Thanks for reading!

Week Two

Sigh ... the weekend is here, but I still feel like I have so much to do! I'm leaving on Monday for Bratislava (just across the Austria/Slovakia border - about an hour away) and will be there until Thursday interviewing and taking pictures. I'm very thankful that I have the weekend to prepare for that. I need to fine-tune interview questions and review the history of the TWR office that I'll be visiting. It's their 20th anniversary with TWR, so I'll be highlighting their past and future with TWR and some of the (many) things that God has done through and for them. I'm excited to hear the stories and really get an inside view of the great things the Lord has done there. I almost feel like I snuck in somewhere - that I should be paying to hear and experience things like these!

I hope you got to see my pictures of Vienna on Facebook. I can't describe to you guys what it's like! There's so much to see and we only scraped the surface, so I can't wait to go back. I didn't go into any museums or palaces because we were really on the move, but we did manage to go into a couple of churches. Oh. My. Word. I've never seen anything like them. There is so much detail - I mean from the very bottom to the absolute top. It's not surprising that so many of them were hundreds of years in the making.

One of my co-workers was describing to me that the early Catholics wanted to give to God in the most honorable way they could which resulted in these incredible churches. Because they worked with such excellence and conviction, their monuments to God still stand. And I know we shouldn't make our focus the physical church over the spiritual church, but it did make me think about whether or not my spiritual efforts will stand for God. That's the way the body of Christ should be, though - so magnificent that it stands as a monument for ages to come (but of course not as a relic!).

Speaking of relics, I'm going to visit Lichtenstein castle tomorrow with some friends. It's my first time in a castle, so I'll probably do something embarrassing in my excitement. Pictures to follow (of the castle, not of the embarrassing thing I do ... but if I can catch it on camera I'll put it up).

But I think it's time for bed. I'm watching Switzerland and Honduras broadcast in German and I think it's the longest game I've seen yet. Bed sounds more appealing :)

So thanks for reading once again. Let me know if I can improve these blog posts in any way, jah? I appreciate that you even read my dronings so if I can make it more comfortable for you, let me know! Weidersehen!

"Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men" (Proverbs 22:29).

Pictures of Vienna

Hey everyone! I put some pictures up of my trip to Vienna. Here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3167744&id=9387230&l=6674b4f927

A Walk in Brunn

Okay guys, I finally took a walk around my neighborhood and took some pictures of what I saw. At first there was nothing interesting to photograph, but I decided to deviate from the path (and town really) and head down some dirts roads. The first few pics are of my neighborhood and the last few are what I found outisde of the city.

Here's a typical street in my town - Brunn.

This is the entrance to the train station in Brunn. Pretty fancy, eh?

Spitalkirche.

The banhof (train bridge). I go through this everyday on the way to the train station. You can't really see too well, but there's some great grafiti on the walls.

My platform coming in from Perchtoldsdorf. The station is called Brunn am Gebirge.

Going down the back stairway from the train station. Here's where the real adventure begins.

I decided to go left instead of right on my way back home and the rest is what I found!

A vineyard! In the middle of the town! But wait, it gets better!

I saw this little dirt road and decided to be adventurous even though it was eight at night.

 I'm very glad I did.

There was a cemetary in the middle of nowhere. I've never seen a European graveyard - all of the graves are side-by-side. I thought it was a "little" cemetary, but it ended up being about a half mile long!

That's Spitalkirche in the background.

There were lots of these sepulchres in the graveyard. I peeked inside one and there was a - well, sarcophagus I guess you could say - and about two rows of pews in each one. Lots and lots of candles too! Okay now, this is the best part. The church bells started ringing and on cue, the wind started blowing. I think this is when I started to get creeped out.

The bigger graves all had these huge handles on them - very Christmas Carolish. Oh, I almost forgot! After the church bells rang, all of the graves started lighting up with these electric (or something) lanterns. Ahhhhhahahaha! It was so creepy!

So by this time, I was really lost and I wasn't sure if I would make it home by dark so I exited the graveyard and - NO JOKE - I saw my apartment complex right in front of me across a huge field and through a small tree line! I didn't see anyway to get to it other than through the field, so I walked through it hoping there was some way to get there through the trees. When I finally got to the trees, there was a little wooded path to the neighboring apartment building and when I was walking through, this is what greeted me:

I call him Mr. Creeper-cat-that-scared-the-bejeebers-out-of-me-and-made-a-perfect-ending-to-a-spooky-walk. Oh, and his last name is Harold.

So there you have it, guys! I still can't believe everything that happened! And this was only about a 55 minute walk. I really didn't go very far. None of this stuff is fabricated and every picture is in sucession from start to finish of the walk. I think I'll go on more walks :)

I hope these sights help you imagine a little bit about what it's like here. I know this is only a small part, but I'll get some more up soon. I'm going into the heart of Vienna with some ladies from the office on Thursday and they're giving me the grand tour! I'm so excited! Thanks for tuning in!

Happenings

Hey friends! So today I managed to successfully make it to the office by myself on public. Woo-hoo! I've had friends and co-workers keeping careful tags on me which is comforting, but there is a great feeling of achievement when you can say that you've mastered (lies) public transport in a different language. Siiiiigh ... my head is growing as I type.

Yesterday I went to an international church in downtown Vienna with a couple from the office. It was quite the experience. The church is mostly Filipinos, Africans and only a handful of Austrians and Americans. A Filipino man gave the sermon in English and then a Swedish man translated it into German! It was a fascinating cultural explosion! On top of that I went to a Turkish restaurant following and ordered food in German. My brain was so scrambled when I got home.

Today in the office I mostly typed up interview transcripts and then edited them for publication. I hate cutting good quotes, but the word minimum was 600-700 and I had about 2,270! It was a great interview too - I was really touched when I listened to it. I also got to tinker (I'm not sure why I ever use that word, but I do quite frequently) around with the office camera and get familiar with it so I can use it when I travel. I was able to take some beautiful pictures of Perchtoldsdorf, but when I went to upload them the digital cord was missing! I was hoping to get some pictures up of the area, but I'll make sure to take plenty when I go into Vienna with my own cam.

Right now I'm literally chilling in my apartment. It's about 50 degrees out and rainy and windy. And of course (since I'm quite smart) I didn't pack any warm clothes except for a few sweaters and only one pair of closed shoes (which don't match anything so I look hilarious). My supervisor saw me standing at the bus stop today when she was leaving work and gave me her jacket and scarf. I don't think that was good enough for her because she drove me all the way home on the other side of town. It meant so much to me and as I was thinking about it later, I remembered the verse in James 1 - "every good and perfect gift is from above."

So many people have made me feel warm and welcome here and it is such a blessing to my soul, but I forget that those blessings are ultimately from my heavenly Father. Every good thing that I'm experiencing here is a special gift from Him and I am so grateful for His care and provision in my life. He is a good and gracious Father and that alone is more than enough motivation to glorify Him.

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11).

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17).

Week One in Review

Hey guys! So week one in Vienna was awesome! My time at the office has been mostly training and orientation so far, but next week I'll be able to start the real work! I'll be taking pictures, working on some interview transcripts and getting ready to travel!

I found out yesterday that I'll spend some time in Bratislava and a few days in Lithuania and the Czech Republic interviewing and taking pictures. More details to follow ;)

Besides work, I've been able to get to know some of my co-workers this week - really precious brothers and sisters! Already, I'm dreading having to leave them! The staff meets first thing in the morning for devotions and we pray for other offices, stations, partners, co-workers, etc. It's amazing how involved TWR is within the organization. It's not just independent offices scattered all around Europe, but rather a connected web that stays in close contact. My aunt says it's a family and she's absolutely right! I really think it's a wonderful picture of not just a successful organization, but the church itself.

Everyone has really gone out of their way to make me feel welcome here (so Mum, you can stop worrying about me being alone ... yeah, I'm talking to you woman!). I went over to a couple's house for pizza last night and we just chilled and watched a movie - something I really appreciated; I felt right at home! And I spent today in a neighboring town with another family from the office. Another nice time to just relax and learn a little bit more about the city and culture.

On a side note, I had quite the fiasco at the grocery market today. When I was paying, the cashier said something in German and my immediate response was PANIC! Fortunately, a woman I knew was with me and she explained to me that the cashier was simply telling me how much I owed. Seriously, what a spazmatoid I am. Ahhh ... another terrifying culture lesson under my belt.

I think that's all the news for now. I'm watching fireworks and drinking coffee on my balcony right now. I think that's a lovely way to end the week, don't you?

P.S. Don't make fun of my office picture. I am very proud of my very own desk! Besides, it gives the post a sort of "reporting from the office" feel. That sounds like something Michael Scott would say.

"The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You" (Is. 26:3).

Transportation, Towers, TWR

Today was my second day at the office and a day of many firsts. A lovely co-worker of mine took me out and taught me how to ride the public transportation in Vienna. Besides not understanding any of the German words and names, I think I'm getting the hang of it! I live about 10 minutes away from a train station and I can easily catch a bus for the second half of my commute. All in all, it's about 45 minutes to get to the office from my apartment. I'm sure that as I get accustomed to the system, I can cut some time off of my trip. But for now it's pretty pathetic. All in good time, jah?

I also ate in a heuriger for the first time. A heuriger is usually a family-owned business that strictly sells its own food and wine. It's kind of a way for farmers to showcase their specialty wines while customers can enjoy a small buffet. I had a delicious spinach something (they called it a pancake) and gingerale, which tasted uncannily like the seltzer water they serve here. Another cool thing about heurigers is that they hang a green bush above the door when they're open. They don't operate on a specific schedule, so when you see a green bush outside, it's a real treat! I was able to eat with my supervisor and the MarCom director and a few other TWR colleagues which was a true blessing. I'm still rather shy with my co-workers, which I was hoping wouldn't happen, so if you think about it will you pray that I can just be comfortable with everyone? God has certainly brought me a long way, but it still requires humility and trust every day.

And I'm proud to announce that I used my first German today. A man in my apartment building held the door for me as I was coming in to which I proudly said "danke." Oh yeah. Big stuff, I know. Haha ... okay, pretty lame, jah?

Oh, by the way, the picture above is a turm (tower) in Perchtoldsdorf, the town where the office is located. The tower and its adjoing church and castle were all built in the 1400s - I love passing it every day.

I'm learning more and more about TWR and its ministry and I can tell you that God is using this organization is such a powerful way. Please pray for TWR, its workers and those receiving the gospel as a result of the good work. I'm so honored to be with such faithful men and women and the Lord is truly showing me what it means to serve Him. PTL (praise the Lord) as we say it in TWR-Europe!

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain" (1 Cor. 15:58).

Oweee

Okay, so after my flight and a day of rest, my body feels like someone dropped a couch on me (for lack of a better example). I'm not really sure why. My ribs are killing me, my hips and upper legs are stiff stiff stiff and I have bruises all up and down my shins. Seriously, what was I doing?! The only thing that I can think of (at least for my upper body) is that I carried a 20 lb. backpack around for the majority of the trip. As for all of the bruises...?

But I know sleep will be sweet tonight and I'm just so thankful to finally be here that pain is certainly not an issue. Ahhhhhh ... the soothing balm of joy.

Wien Finally

Well ladies and gentlemen, I'm finally here. It was a hectic trip, but the Lord had His hand on me the whole time. I ran into some trouble in Frankfurt and missed my flight into Vienna, but by the grace of God I was able to reschedule my flight for free and I arrived only three hours later than expected!

Already I'm blessed by God's plan for me here. I've met the most fantastic people who have really been such a blessing - and I haven't even been here for one day! I live in a lovely apartment in Brunn, which is the epitome of a European town - I can't get over it! And downtown Vienna is only a short train ride away, so I hope to have pictures up soon once I can explore a bit. But God is certainly good to me and I'm just praising Him for His protection and provision.

I'm thankful that I've adjusted to the time change so well. I think staying up for 30 + hours helped a little bit (no sleep on the plane due to a very awkward seatmate situation - remind me to tell you about it). I slept about eight hours last night and woke up this morning feeling refreshed and I'm still feeling pretty good.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for my trip. I am so grateful for you. The Lord really worked for me and I could definitely feel your prayers.

I'll keep you updated this week about my work and other various sights, sounds and tastes (I had my first weiner schnitzel today) of Vienna!

Mary, Martha and Digital Cameras

A little while ago, I was invited to share about my trip with a ladies group in my church called Mary and Martha. I have never been so blessed in my entire life by the body of Christ. These faithful women prayed for me and encouraged me in ways that they couldn't know.

As if their encouragement wasn't enough, they took up an offering for me to buy a digital camera. Those godly women - about 15 - raised $186 for me! A few days later, I found a great camera for $179 and after taxes it came to about $190. Is our God good?

I'm proud to announce that I'm the owner of a Canon SD1300IS. And it takes beautiful pictures! The camera is a special blessing to me and will always be a reminder to pray for those godly women and to appreciate the gifts of God. But more than anything, their faithfulness in prayer for me is the greatest gift. I am so undeserving to have such a wonderful and powerful force behind me. Thank you ladies!

"So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith" (Gal. 6:10).

Ain't No Stopping Him Now

I knew that if God wanted me to go to Austria, He would provide the money. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that it would all come in.

But the trip's total cost came to $4,700 and all that I could think was "How am I going to raise almost $5,000 in a little over a month?!" Okay, so maybe I was a little doubtful.

At first I took a indifferent approach. "That's God's responsibility. If He's sending me to Austria, then He'll just have to raise that money Himself." But if I wanted in on His glorious plan for my life, I was going to have to put a little effort in - and I found that out the hard way. With only a few weeks to go, I still owed a lot of money. I was so tempted to doubt His provision, His promises. Why would He send me and not provide?

He gently revealed to me that I needed to get in gear and get on top of the issue. I did, but even my best efforts were feeble. He allowed this so that I couldn't glory in myself. Every cent that was raised was a result of God's grace to me and I can't take any credit - not any. All the glory goes to God.

I have so many people to be thankful for! I still can't believe how many people reached out to me and gave - many of whom had very little resources. I am so touched and so humbled and I told God that the money would not go wasted. I could never earn what I've been given, but I'm certainly going to do my best.

I wish that I could make known every single person who helped me get to Austria. Not just financially, but through encouragement, prayers and challenge. I am so moved by the body of Christ. It's also the accountability that I need right now. To know that so many people have invested in me will be a constant reminder of His faithfulnes and a challenge to walk worthy.

If you have given in any way, I thank you. You just can't know how much it means to me. I admit, I'm moved to tears quite frequently when I meditate on God's goodness through His people. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I guess I should know by now that when God gets an idea in His head, there's no stopping Him. What a blessed reminder that He never goes back on His promises, that He is Who He says He is and that He does what He says He'll do.

"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands" (Deut. 7:9).

Why Austria?

A lot of people ask me how I decided to go to Austria, to which I reply that the Lord chose Austria for me and that I had nothing to do with it.

In February 2010, a friend suggested I try to go to Turkey with her to fulfill our internship requirements. I thought that it was a marvelous idea, and without putting too much prayer into it, I applied for the position and was shortly accepted.

Not too far along into the process, I began sensing that this wasn't what the Lord wanted for me. But how could I turn it down? It was an amazing opportunity and everything was working out ... so far. I was confused. I think I genuinely wanted to serve the Lord using my journalism skills, but I had a narrow idea of how to do it. Turkey seemed the logical answer.

But God's way is best and it is He who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13). I think I was defining my own terms by which I would serve Him but He graciously took my desires to use for His will and pleasure.

Well, about the time when I was seriously seeking an alternative to Turkey the Lord introduced me to Trans World Radio (TWR). I was on Facebook and received one of their stories in my mini-feed. My aunt had invited me to become a fan of their page a few months earlier (one of many sovereign acts of God in my journey) and I loved reading the stories of how the Lord used the ministry to bring people around the world to Himself. Of course I never even thought of doing an internship with TWR. I kind of had this "they're way out of my spiritual league" opinion about them.

To make a long story short (kind of), the Lord compelled me to apply for an internship with the organization and according to His gracious will for me, I was accepted as a intern to work in Vienna, Austria for eight weeks this summer.

After this, how can I ever doubt that God's will is best for me? There is no other way outside of the Lord's. I can't be happy unless I know that I'm right in the middle of His will for me and that He is getting glory from my obedience and love for Him. All of the glory must go to God.

"You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Ps. 16:11).