Before we even came to Vienna, we covered our journey and time here in prayer. Upon arrival, as you read in my last blog, God blew us away with his provision and his blessings. We met the woman that God had introduced us to in a prophetic vision. This same woman got a word from God that she was to empty her wallet and give our team everything that she had. The amount was more than we could have imagined and covered our lodging for six for our first night as well as some food expenses. I blogged about this experience because it left an impression on me. It was a reminder of how God is faithful when we are obedient to Him. When he calls us to “GO” with no plan and no place to lay our head, He will provide. But, his blessings and provision have not ended there.
It’s funny that in month 11, I felt in some ways that since it was only a few days until Final Debrief with our squad of 52 that our team would somewhat unintentionally coast to the finish line. While we gave more than 100% in our ministry in Croatia, we came to Austria with no plan and no schedule. But God has guided our footsteps and opened doors and opportunities.
After meeting the amazingly obedient woman on the morning of our arrival, we also attended a Bible Study in the evening. For me, that was really a blessing because I felt as though it was the first time in many months that I was able to be involved in the Bible Study as just a participant as opposed to leading it or being the “missionary.” Everyone was passionate for God, brought something to the table, and everyone really participated. It was a great reminder of the type of community I want to be a part of when I return home in a short few weeks.
The following day we were back at Mercy House of Prayer (MHOP) just resting in God’s presence while spending time in worship and prayer. Then today, an opportunity presented itself to partner with some Christians to do an outreach ministry to primarily homeless people at Karlsplatz, one of the main metro stations in Vienna. When I first heard about this opportunity, I immediately knew that I was supposed to go.
So this afternoon, Tim and I headed down to Karlsplatz to meet up with the regular volunteers. I have done this type of ministry at home in Philly a couple times and really enjoyed it so I was excited and very much looking forward to it. We arrived and helped set everything up. The focus of the ministry is to reach out to primarily homeless and drug and alcohol addicts. For this reason, they set their table up across from the “Street Works” office which is a non-profit organization that appears to promote being clean and sober, safe sex by handing out condoms and educating about STDs, and finding employment.
Our job was to hand out coffee, tea, bread, pastries, and information to those who passed by and were willing to stop and accept something for free. We really enjoyed volunteering with some local Austrian Christians and seeing their passion and zeal for Jesus as they reached out to the poor, the lost, and the broken-hearted. During our few hours volunteering, we saw some heated debates about religion, some genuinely interested and eager listeners, and we even saw one young woman give her life to Christ. It was awesome to see how God was moving in and through this ministry to reach the people of Vienna who you do not see inside the walls of the church. Jesus says to give to the poor and to take the gospel to the nations. It was inspiring to see the heart and dedication of this group of individuals who have been coming to the same metro stop every Friday afternoon for years and for me to have the opportunity to be a part of the work that God is doing here.
The next unexpected turn was when one of the volunteers, Maria, offered to walk us down to another location to meet another group of Christians doing the same type of ministry. Unfortunately, upon arriving there, the group was on break since they’d been working outside in the cold for hours and we were not able to meet them. However, Maria introduced us to a friend of hers from church and the two of them treated Tim and I to a 3 to 5 course meal at a nice sit-down Chinese restaurant. This was an incredible and completely unexpected blessing. Over dinner, we talked about how God is working around the world and the conversation was very uplifting and encouraging for all parties. At the end of the meal, Tim and I thought we should be headed to the metro to get back to the hostel as it was getting late. However, before we could move in that direction, Maria had already made plans. Her husband is a taxi driver and he came to pick us up and gave us door-to-door service from the restaurant to our hostel.
This evening is just yet another example of how God has blessed us abundantly this year. Sometimes I feel that we take for granted the smaller blessings in life. But, God has continued to show me that no matter how close I am to the end of my 11-month journey as a missionary, that I am by no means at the end of my relationship with him or the blessings that he has planned for me. Praise the Lord for everything He has done in me, through me, and for me this year!!!
