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About 15,000 feet above and west of Vienna – Wednesday, November 4, 2009 – 11:31am local time

I’m on my way home.  It’s been another wonderful time in eastern Europe with effective ministry and work, and I can’t believe that God has called me to a work so special.  What a blessing and privilege.

 

The day in Vienna dawned cold but dry and clear.  After the wetness of yesterday, I was disappointed.  By the time we took off from Vienna a short time ago, however, the rain had returned.  Not much of a better chance for photography today than yesterday.

 

A couple of weeks ago, I started feeling an urge from the Holy Spirit that some changes were coming my way.  I’m not sure if those will be vocational, educational, or something entirely different.  There continues to be upheaval at work, and I’m not convinced the general health of my employer is solid.  Perhaps it’s time to make a change there.  Then, there’s the educational front.  A couple of years ago, while traveling to eastern Europe as a part of our team, a professor told me about a doctoral program in Vienna.  The program is research based, would be self-directed, would not require full-time residency in Vienna, and would be fairly brief in comparison to many other programs.  I’ve had that in the back of my mind since that time, and I wanted to come to Vienna to pray about these changes I feel are coming.  So, yesterday, while walking the streets of the charming city, I spent some time in prayer.  Every so often, I would talk to the Lord, just thanking Him for His goodness, praising Him for His greatness, and asking Him for direction about my future and that of my family.  It made my time in Vienna special, to be sure.

 

So, did I hear from Him?  Yes and no.  No, I did not get a clear answer to my current struggles with my job and immediate direction.  That will have to wait, I guess.  I did get an answer, though, on something I need to do immediately as I seek His direction.  At one point as I was walking, the Lord did speak to me that I need to seek Him more on a daily basis.  I’m not to seek His direction right now as much as I am to seek Him right now.  To really know Him is the highest and best calling I can have anyway.

 

I’m now heading home—home to my family, home to my job, home to everything I know and love.  If I can also really seek Him and know Him more there, I will be even closer to my true home—His will—than I can ever imagine.  Thanks for traveling with me this last week.

 

More to come…

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain

Vienna, Austria – Tuesday, November 3, 2009 – 8:40am local time

…unfortunately, in Austria, it falls mainly on me!  Yep.  Rain, sleet, snow, any other form of precipitation has been falling since last night!  I’m going to breakfast and then out to brave the downfall.  As long as it’s not too rainy wet, I should be fine.  Not sure about pictures, though…

 

The snow was more expected in Minsk, but all we got there was cold.  Very cold!  When we left our hotel on Monday morning, it was 20 degrees outside.  It was also deep into the 20s most evenings and during our late night walks.  I enjoyed it, though.  We never had to be outside for more than an hour or so at a time, and it just contributes to the overall atmosphere of the city.

 

More to come…

Moving on

Vienna, Austria – Monday, November 2, 2009 - 8:56pm local time

It’s Monday night, and I’m now in one of my favorite places in the world—Vienna!  Austria was the first place I ever traveled overseas—on my honeymoon—and I love being here.  There is something so special to me about Austria and Vienna that I can’t really explain.

 

I arrived earlier tonight from Minsk and determinedly took the train into the city center.  Then, I stealthily checked my map, got my bearings, and did my very best don’t-look-like-a-tourist tourist walk…a mile in the wrong direction.  I finally righted myself and made my way back to my room for the night.  I’m staying in the most interesting place.  The Deutscher Orden Guesthouse is attached to a Catholic order/convent a literal stone’s throw from Stephansdom, the huge cathedral that marks the center of old Vienna.  The cathedral is the heart of Vienna is many ways, not just geographically, and I can hear the bells from my room. The room is great, even better than the hotel I just checked out of in Minsk, with a private bath and full breakfast included.  I can’t wait to do some exploring and picture-taking tomorrow.  That is, if it stops raining.  The forecast is for rain tonight and snow tomorrow.  Great for touristing.

 

We finished our time in Minsk with with some great experiences.  Our team visited Smargon, a small city near the Lithuanian border on Sunday morning.  There is a Calvinist church there dating from the 16th century.   It was a Calvinist Protestant church, then a Catholic church, then an Orthodox church, then a warehouse during the Soviet times.  Now it’s a Catholic church once more.  The exterior architecture was fairly standard, very simple Calvinist style with hardly any decorations and simple curves and lines.  Inside, though, it was completely different.  The church is a functioning Catholic church, so there was an altar and stations of the cross.  However, the most incredible thing was the ceiling.  From the outside the building disguised a huge interior rotunda that rose approximately 75 feet to its peak.  There were a variety of paintings around the circumference that depicted the life of Christ.  The style was unlike anything I had eve seen!  The type of art and the colors reminded me so much of American southwestern or American Indian artwork.  It was fascinating, and I’ve never seen anything quite like it in eastern Europe, certainly not in Belarus!  I only wish I could have taken pictures inside.

 

From Smargon, we drove the Zalesse to visit Auginsky’s palace.  Auginsky was an early 19th century Belarusian composer who did much to try and restore the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Belarus’ historical boundaries and political alliances.  Auginsky was a personal friend of Napoleon and Tsar Alexander, so his property was quite the impressive place in his time.   It is fairly well preserved now with a the main palace, stables, chapel, and summer theater building still intact.  A river and woods run through the property, and it was beautiful.  We had an enjoyable visit and a great narrative from our friend A, a professional historian.

 

We closed our Sunday and our time in Belarus as we usually do.  Security reasons keep me from giving any details, but those of you who have supported me these years know what I’m referring to.  If not, please ask me.  I’d love to tell you about it privately.  It’s a powerful story!

 

I’m eager to tell you about one of the reasons I chose to spend a day in Vienna on the way home.  Pray for me and the Lord’s direction for my family, would you?

 

More to come…

Vienna

Vienna, Austria – Tuesday, November 3, 2009 – 6:07pm local time

I’ve had really a very enjoyable time here in Vienna today, the weather notwithstanding.  There were a couple of disappointments.  First, I had planned to go by train or bus 30 miles away to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.  Vienna and Bratislava are the closest capital cities in the world, and I wanted the chance to tick another country off the list.  The bad weather here was worse in Bratislava, so I decided to skip it this time around.  Ah well, maybe next time.

 

The bigger disappointment was not being able to take my camera out as I walked around the city for seven hours today.  All the wet weather would have made it virtually impossible to get any picturesque shots, and I really didn’t feel like fooling with keeping the lens dry and free of water drops or snow flakes all day.  So, I had to content myself with my cellphone camera.  That means you get to look at shots like this:

Not terrible, but the Vienna Visitor’s Bureau is certainly not going to be chasing me through the airport to get a copy before I fly away.

 

I got to see a little of the Spanish Riding School and snapped one of the famous Lipizzaner as he poked his head out of the stable to catch a flake or two.  I thought of my mom, as she’s always wanted to see them.

 

Whenever I travel, I love to look inside any old church I come across, be it Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, whatever.  There are more than a few of those in Vienna, so I’ve been to many an altar today.  Fascinating!  The Capuchin Church here was probably my favorite today.  As purposefully simple in design as it can possibly be, I almost walked right past it.  It is very simple and very small, but almost all the rulers of the Hapsburg dynasty are buried (en-crypted?) there.  A Mass was in progress, and I stood and watched and listened for 15 or 20 minutes.  The general emptiness of much of Catholicism aside, such peace.

 

Most people think of Mozart when they think of Vienna.  I saw his house today.  Did you know that also he stayed one time at this very guesthouse where I’m staying?  Maybe we shared a room.  Probably not.  I also saw a house today where Beethoven lived for many years.  Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin.  That’s Vienna to me.  Forget Freud!

 

Home tomorrow.  I can’t wait to see my wife and children.  This has been a short trip compared to some others I done, but I’m ready to be home.  Thanks for your prayers along the way.  They’ve affected much.  Before I put the wraps on the blog for this fall trip, I’ll post about why I chose to spend a day in Vienna.

 

More to come…