Adventures in Austin!

Flying over Colorado. 

Austin is beautiful this time of year!  God has taken me from subzero Minnesota and brought me to a 55 degree sanctuary in the Texan countryside.  HELP International invited me to visit their branch in Austin in preparation for Mongolia.  HELP has been active in Texas for more than a decade, but in recent years the long-term missionaries and mission families have been called elsewhere.  The new missionaries are in a season of seeking the Lord for His heart for Austin and how He wants to use them in this next season. They feel called to focus on the young adult community, especially at the University of Texas.  It is a time for building relationships and exploring new opportunities.  They are very interested in Godtown.  They have many questions about how it started, the mission training program, and living in community.  Their fellowship in German seems to have a very similar focus.  They also have community houses and a training program.

I have enjoyed getting to know Andrea, Merisha, and Johan!  They each have incredible stories of what God has done in their lives.  Evangelism is a way of life for them.  We cannot walk down the street without engaging someone with God's love.  Johan especially has been stepping out in praying for healing.  On our first outreach to the University of Texas, he had an impression that we would meet someone with lower back pain.  We had also just had an in-depth conversation about the American flag.  As we were praying in front of the main building, the custodians came to take the flags down.  One of the women did have lower back pain and Johan was able to pray with her.  She was very touched.  It amazes me how God used our conversation to highlight the people we encountered that day.

We are learning so much from each other about German and American culture!  I don't always know how to answer when they ask me about American culture because Minnesota and Texas are very different.  They already know more about line dancing that I do!  They encourage me to correct their English.  All of them have been to Mongolia, so I have many questions for them as well!  I will need to be careful to avoid manholes and wild dogs.

It is hard to imagine I only have two more days in Austin.  I feel very rested and at the same time I have experienced so much here.  Merisha was so kind to give me Walter Heidenreich's book.  In it he writes about his personal testimony and his call to Mongolia.

Prayer is Powerful!
Please pray for...

• Visas for the long-term German missionaries coming to Austin
• Visas for a team of Mongolian missionaries coming to Austin this year
• God's plan for the Austin Branch
• My final preparations for Mongolia