Linz in Focus

Tomorrow is Rachel’s 6th birthday and she is so excited. We asked her what she wanted for her birthday tea and I thought it would the usual junk food but she asked for spaghetti bolognaise. I think it is funny out of everything she can have she chose spaghetti bolognaise

On Wednesday we are off to Linz to look at houses. We have been offered two very nice houses and we have 3 flats to look at too. We are praying that God will lead us to the right house for us. This week is going to be such an exciting week for all of us.

We look forward to the possibility of coming back and showing you pictures of our house/flat

Lee also had a fabby time at school camp and he did indeed come back with a bag full of dirty washing well done Lee.

This week we are one child down… …Lee has gone to school camp, he has gone for three days of outdoor activities. He left with a suitcase full of clean clothes and when he returns on Wednesday he will still have a case full of clean clothes….boys are mingers!!

Next Tuesday is Rachel’s birthday she will be 6. On Wednesday we will all be leaving for Austria to look for a house/apartment. We have about 6 or 7 places to look at. We return home on the Friday so we only really have one day of house hunting… It feels a bit like mission impossible but you never know. When we return on Saturday Rachel will have her birthday party, she has 5 friends coming round to do crafts. She is so excited….

… and that is as far forward as I am looking cos then it will be time to pack. We have already started the clearing out!

Last week I was in Austria without Johnny and the kids. I went to the ECM Austrian Prayer days in Salzburg. I went with some folks from the ECM office for a couple of days.

We had a great time with the Austrian team. We had the chance to chat with one another and pray for one another and find out what the team is doing Austria. It was good to hear how God is moving in the Austrian church. It was a time of refreshing and relaxation.

It was strange for me being at something like that on my own because we are normally there as a family. It was a chance for me to spend some time on my own in Austria which I have never done before. It also made a wee bit more clear to me that learning the language is going to be a big hurdle to get over.

Well we are drawing to the end of a busy week for us but especially for Lee and Johnny.

Lee is just finishing his week of stats and he has worked so hard, so tonight we are going to eat junk food and watch a couple of DVDs….  Sore tummy’s here we come.

Meanwhile Johnny is away in Scotland (Glasgow) He is running a conference on behalf of ECM and in conjunction with some other mission agency’s they are focusing on mission in Europe. This is happening on Saturday please pray for the conference.

When Johnny returns home on Sunday we have 4 hours together then I leave to go to the Austrian prayer days. I will be going with some folks from the ECM office here in Northampton.  Please pray for me as I go because it will be the first time I have been abroad on my own without Johnny and without the kids. I am looking forward to it. Please pray for the kids and Johnny while I am away.

Rachel is the only one that has not been mentioned but she is well. Rachel and her class are doing a project on the Queen and on Wednesday they recreated a street party to celebrate the coronation of the Queen. Now she has become quite obsessed with all things to do with the Queen. Oh dear….    

 … Its not usually good when the boss says that to you … but for us its the news we’ve been waiting for !!!

I spent a week in Linz just over a week ago, and met with schools, potential part-time employers, the church leadership and others interested in working with us at the Grace International Fellowship.  Overall it was a really positive week.  Rachel’s school director was really helpful and excited about having another native English speaker in her very multicultural school.  It even looks like Rachel’s teacher will be Scottish!  The English teaching institute also said that being a native English speaker was the main qualification they look for.  I felt really good about being back in Linz.  The church leadership shared how tough the last year has been and yet they also feel very positive about the future and God’s plans for the church.  I was able to share our understanding of the roles we feel God has been preparing for us, to work alongside them as a mission resource, enabling the church to continue to grow as an Austrian-led fellowship with a mission to both Austrian and international residents in Linz. 

Kristine and I both feel that that God is going before us and still inviting us to follow him in the work he is doing in Linz.

Our support is now at a level where we can go … we’re still waiting for a few folk to make decisions on supporting us financially, but its looking more than healthy enough for ECM to finally be able to tell us to pack up our bags and leave ….

The last time we spoke we were telling you about our taste of Austria evenings we were about to do. Well they went very well. We have enjoyed 2 evenings sharing our visions and hopes for what we will be doing in Linz and more importantly we had some yummy Austrian food.

It has been really exciting to know that there are lots of people wanting to know and be apart of what we are going to do in Linz.

This Saturday will be the first of our taste of Austria evenings at our house. We have invited our friends from Grange Park to come and hear about what we will be doing in Austria. We will also try and give them a real taste of some Austrian food.

There is a lovely German lady in our church who has offered to help me with some cooking for the evening! The same lady that teaches Johnny German, she is just lovely.