It is so weird that 2 weeks have flown bye this quickly! SO weird and very sad too. Though our trip started off a bit bumpy with a visit to the Austrian hospital (with an overnight stay) then a few days in our Pension hiding from the heat... we finally settled down and enjoyed our time at Mollersdorf - our home away from home each time we stay here. 

 

As we travel by train every day to the Oasis the sights are breathtaking... we wish you could enjoy them too! To Traiskircken, to Baden, To Vienna... hills and beautiful strolling farms growing grapes for Wine... what an amazingly beautiful country Austria is. From the old Austrian style houses with a mix of new modern homes, to the buildings that survived WW1 and WW2 to the new modern buildings that are being built. It is a sight we pray all you can come and enjoy yourself one day. 

Spent the day enjoying the sights of Vienna... hope you like them too!! AweAMAZING designs!!!

Wednesday Night Service

We would call it a Bible Study night... at the Oasis we just simply call it Wednesday night program... why? Because we want the refugees to come, learn, and be safe. Many of the refugees are Muslim and for them to willingly come to a Bible Study would be dangerous for them. Other refugees are skeptical and have to be enticed in... with some coffee/chai and cake. Once in it is their choice to stay and hear the Bible Message or leave. Some do leave with in the first few minutes which is fine because that just means those that stayed are the ones God had planned to reach tonight. 

Tonight was a special night for us, Rob was the guest speaker! He chose to read from Luke... the Parable of the Lost Son. I have tried several times to download the video but I still have had no luck :-(

There were three different translators sharing what Rob was saying - Arabic, Farsi and French.

 It is always amazing to hear the various languages all being spoken at once. It takes you to the story - Tower of Babel. Standing in a room where people literally cannot understand what someone else is saying because they speak a different language... Scary but amazing to see how God pushes that barrier away and provides people to translate or uses other ways for us to communicate. 

Once Rob finished the parable he shared about how he was the wild son - spending all his money and that when he hit rock bottom in life he turned to God completely and asked for forgiveness. He told them his WILD days were fun, but what God has given him now is SOOOO much BETTER!

At the end of the service the people made a point to come and meet us and even thank him for sharing his story. I wish we could stay longer to see how God used the Wednesday Night Service to impact those that came.

Was it Rob's message, the coffee and cake, maybe the matchbox cars we gave a couple of boys... or was it just a simple smile and handshake from one of the volunteers. All I know is God had all of us together for HIS purpose... and that is so COOL~

Baby Z...

Monday Night we had the amazing pleasure of meeting little Miss Z. She was just born 2 weeks ago... tiny and sweet!! She is a FRIEND of ours that we met through one of the Oasis Team Members - David. She has been friends with David  for a few years, but she came along 2 years ago to the Christmas dinner we served and she still raves about the Christmas meal I made :-) 

It was awesome to see her face when we walked in to her apartment... she was so shocked by how much Sam grew, but really shocked by how much Robby GREW. She kept asking what does he eat because she wants her son to also grow tall and strong just like Robby. 

We LOVED spending our BABY Time with MISS Z, but what is more precious was the time we got to spend with her mom Ms. J. Ms. J. came to the Oasis a  few years back and though she doesn't need the support of the Oasis anymore she has continued her friendship and connection with David... exactly what God call us to do. Build a Community of friends/followers, Grow it, Support each other, Love each other... as HE does with us.

I am humbled that God has included our family in this Community!! We are truly blessed by Ms. J friendship and also very Thankful for the friendship we have with David!!

Please keep Ms. J, her son Phil and now Miss Z in your prayers

Monday: Clothing Room

Monday was clothing room... it is humbling to be a part of the whole experience. Seeing God provide clothes and shoes for the refugees. It really isn't as simple as that... imagine yourself in a room that is tiny and only has 6 sections of clothing - that includes shirts, pants, t-shirts, shorts... then a space for about 20 pairs of shoes. At least 60 guys came through the clothing room yesterday and found something they needed. The only that can happen is through GOD's hands. He provided every item in that room that was needed by the men that would come yesterday.

How often do you go to several stores to find the right outfit - or how many of you have just spent lots of $$$$ on school clothes because your kids NEEDED them? Did they need them, did they physically grow out of their clothes and they NEEDED new clothes or did they grow out of their style?

I don't ask to make you feel guilty... I ask in hopes that it will remind YOU how blessed you really are. Even the refugees here are BLESSED as much as we are. We look at them as if they don't have much... but they have what they need - they just don't have the luxury to not be satisfied like we do. So my prayer for you is that you are satisfied with your life, with what you have and to not want more then what God is giving you.

Simple is Good...

Watching the kids club today it reminded me how God provides what we need when we need it... a saying that I always say to my kids and to myself because it reminds me to not want more than I have and to calm myself in those moments fear is bigger than I am.

I have never had a car that I choose because of the style or even the color... I have always purchased a car that was in the price range that I could afford and that had the best gas mileage and consumer rating... then what was also available as a gently used car. Sometimes I wish I could pick the car I want, even just the color I want but then I remember the purpose of the car... Transportation. Simply just for transportation. 

Life is that simple - if you so choose to live it that way. Being happy with what you have, remembering everything you have (simple or extravegent, what you picked or what was given to you) was given to you by God.

The kids sit in front of me and as I look at my quickly growing son I wonder how the parents provide these kids with the clothes they are wearing. Kids clothing room is only every 3 weeks and not always plentiful with all sizes. But when you look at these kids you can see they are dressed... shirt, pants, skirt, undergarments, shoes... everything we NEED to clothe our selves is provided. There is no fashion show, no comparing each other to what we look like, clothing is used as what it was meant to be - covering of our bodies - SIMPLE. 

Makes me sad how much money I have spent for the gym shoes that had to be the right color, or the shirt that would just match a certain pair of pants. Lots of times my kids have been teased because they wear simple clothes... no crazy or fashionable designs. Sam has been teased for not being girlie enough. I am thankful and blessed that they are living the SIMPLE life... being satisfied with what they have and not searching for more then they need or others want them to have. 

I pray these kids (and my kids) never have to feel they need more than what they have... that God IS providing what they need. From head to toe - they are covered

Just a few thoughts that were in my mind today :-)

Jeni

Honored to be a part of their lives... even if it's just for a few days

Narnia Day #3... fun filled, lots of learning, amazing kids, awesome leaders! Humbled to be a part of this program. Sam is having an awesome time being a part of the girls group. They have asked her a bunch of questions to get to know her and even watched some of her gymnastics competition videos. Love the impact these kids are making on her and she on them. 

 Little Miss H... what a face - won't smile unless you have the right touch. Everyone tries to make her smile but she stays stoned faced the whole time. Sad but so darn cute! Sam and I have the secret to make her laugh... though it helps that we've hung out with her for the last 3 days :-) Her mom is so sweet too... she has 3 kids, one with medical needs. She has so much patience and LOVE for all three young kids. It's awesome to watch how all the mom's help each other out. I can't imagine being so far from home, trying to start a new life and raising 3 little kids. The face of a true Role Model!!

Oh What A Night...

Women's Night was a HUGE hit... room was packed, ladies were ready to have a GNO! And once again I have to say... Russian's Do It BIG. The Russian team that is also serving at the Oasis right now was responsible for the service, music and craft... little did they realize that they would be such a huge hit that the Russian/Chechen ladies would want their pictures take with them and their singing would be video taped for later listening. It was amazing to watch it all happened... the funny thing is I had the greatest seat in the house! For some reason I end up being the "bouncer" at the door for the programs to keep unruly people out or Men out since tonight's ministry was for Women ONLY! I had one guy try to pass off that he was gay in the hopes I would let him in?!?! For those of you that know me well - I know that me being the "bouncer" or "heavy weight" or the person saying "No" isn't a stretch... I tend to hold that role a few other places in my life. Hopefully I do it in a gentle and kind way...

As the night rolled on it started to storm... lightening first with a little bit of rain and then a lot of rain just before we had to catch the train. I LOVE God's sense of humor... I asked for cooler weather and BOY did we get it. I laugh because He sent it with the rain... Mind you the missionaries tell us it never rains, let a lone storms. So as I sit in my room right now and I watch the lightening show continue I can't help but laugh that within our first week of serving we have been a part of the HOTTEST weather in 10 years and now they are getting dumped with rain. Hope they don't ask us to leave because we seem to have brought the bad weather with us (hehehe!).

All teasing a side - today was a GREAT day! Serving a FULL day, both kids are healthy, and we got to spend a lot of time with NEW Friends from Around the Country. LOVE IT! Blessed Beyond Words!!

Thanks again everyone for continuing to pray for us!!

God Bless,
Jeni

A glimpse in to where we are serving for 2 weeks... lots of bibles and tracks in every language possible. Flags of every country that has come through the door. Please keep the missionaries that work at the Oasis in your prayers and all the refugees that will walk through those doors.

Narnia - Russian Style

Today was a good day for all of us... everyone health(ier) but we still had to beat the 103 degree heat. So we decided to help at the Russian kids club camp this morning... then head back to hide at our Pension until the heat broke and then go back to serve at the Oasis during the Coffee Bar time. To our surprise the Kids Club didn't end until 3pm... which was the height of the heat so we took refuge at the Oasis and hung out in the cool basement. Then stayed for Coffee Bar but only for set up and the first 45 minutes... it got too hot for us and so we escaped back to our Pension for COLD showers. Feels like I am back in Dominic Republic with hot days, afternoons, nights, rolling black outs and LOTS of COLD Showers. I keep telling myself I survived that I can can survive this.

The kids program was themed Narnia... the Russian team is so creative and had a whole afternoon planned of Narnia themed games, music, skits, share time, craft... it was FUN. Sam ended up joining the girls team. The girls and the boys learned her Russian name quickly - CEM   The kids club started off a little odd... the leaders told the kids each team had three balloons which represented 3 lives. If they lost their lives because they misbehaved then something very bad would happen to them tonight?!? #extremelydiscipline

Then one of the games we played reminded me of a firing squad... the boys lined up against the girls - 2 kids on each team were blindfolded and given a tennis ball. On the count of 3 they were to whip the ball at the other team in the hopes to hit someone. #OUCH

I started to think this was "normal" but one of the Russian boys asked who in the world would make such cruel rules! I am glad to know that this is not typical in Russia :-)

After the kids club we hunkered down in the basement of the Oasis to rest and cool down until Coffee Bar. My favorite ministry because it is so laid back - all you do is offer coffee or tea, play a game of chess/checkers/connect four or just talk with a complete stranger. The idea is to build relationships with the refugees. So many stories are shared during this time, so many smiles are seen, and for once the refugees can just relax and not worry what they say. We take our quiet time for granted... these refugees are sharing rooms at the camp with people they don't know - there is no quiet time for them and probably haven't had one in years. Between providing for their families, trying to reach Austria, staying safe... the last thing any of these refugees can think of is quiet time. What a gift the Oasis provides... and all we do is provide the fresh cup of coffee or tea, handshake and a smile - God does the rest.

Serving Him Faithfully,
Jeni

42 years later and he came back to visit

After waiting out the heat in our Pension today we decided to take a walk this evening - to stretch our legs, get some fresh air, and to enjoy the evening breeze...on our way out I ran in to a lady who heard me and Sam talking in English. She was so excited that she yelled down to her husband... "They Speak English!!"

They just came in to town form New York... spending a few days to visit Mollersdorf, Vienna and the Traiskircken Camp. You read that right - they wanted to see the camp! The gentleman actually was from the Czech Republic and was in the camp 42 years ago. He was excited to show is American wife were he lived for a period of time and then the town were he worked before he earned enough money to go to America.

He said they took a walk around the whole camp and video taped their trip... worried that they might be arrested but he said he had to do it - he wanted to show everyone were he used to live. He said it looks the same... a little paint here and there, but overall it still looked like it did 42 years ago.

They said they were staying at the Pension Iris because after he left the camp he worked at a factory in Mollersdorf and lived here too. He said that he was one of the lucky ones because he made very good money and did well.

His wife said this was her first time here but her husband had been back to his home country (Czech Republic) several times. She was excited that she was going to be able to go back to Czech Republic with him this time and meet all his family.

I love how God puts people in our lives just for a brief moment... they just wanted us to show them how to purchase the train tickets to get to Vienna tomorrow, but they shared their life story with us. We are so blessed for meeting them!

Share Time (Tuesday Up Date)

Share time... typically on Tuesday morning the Oasis team uses the morning to do bible study, prayer time, share time, and prepare for ministry. This morning both kids woke up healthier but still nervous about the What If someone gets sick again. So we had breakfast and spent a long time talking about what our current Fears and Concerns are. 

Our Fears and Concerns:
Robby - his sister getting sick again and the heat
Sam - her brother having another bloody nose and she can't physically handle it again and she goes in to crisis again. Plus concern for the heat
Rob - physical healing for the kids, the heat and for Jeni's feeling of anxiety to lessen
Jeni - physical healing for the kids, my anxiety and concerns for the kids to not overshadow what God has planned for us, and the heat

You will notice the one concern on all our hearts is the heat - we are all mainly worried about Sam responding to the heat (103 by Thursday!). So to overcome that fear we went outside to have our OWN share and prayer time. Realizing the heat wasn't as bad as we had imagined in our mind...duh! We are in the mountains and there is some breeze?!? Plus in all honesty - we thought the Oasis team time was at 10 am and not at 9 am - so we missed the beginning!! So we used that oooppppsss as a sign from God that we needed to STOP and do some family share time.

We spent time sharing our physical, emotional and spiritual concerns, then spent time focusing on the blessings we have already experienced. 
In the last 2 days we have been able to share our faith through word and action to the EMTs, hospital staff, Pension staff, and the Oasis team. I know - I know, we THOUGHT when GOD sent us to Austria it was for us to show God's love to the refugees through serving but God has OTHER plans for us!! and other people for us to impact.

When the doctor discharged Sam yesterday she came back in the room to ask us some questions about WHY are we in Austria. We explained about the Oasis and the refugees... she then asked what religion are you? Why would you give up 2 weeks vacation to come here for refugees. What religion teaches you to do that?  The nurse then came in and wanted to hear our story too. Remember - it is NOT our story  - it is GODs Story - we are just humbled that He has used us to share His Story!!

In the end of our morning share time we all shared how we physically, emotionally, and spiritually felt now - and we each said that we felt filled up by God's spirit and energy. We felt ready to fight any fight that might still be a head of us and to face any fear that might still come, but mostly to Focus our eyes on God. 

Our Strength comes from God - but it is THROUGH ALL OF YOU... all our family and friends who send us encouraging words, prayed for us, and  "LIke" our Facebook posts... because each time you reach out to us, read our story, pray for us that is one step closer for YOU in your relationship with GOD. No matter where you are in your Faith, no matter what religion you call yourself... your relationship with GOD is what is most important to Him and us.

In all honesty - do we wish God would stop using us in such ways to mold us or to teach others... Yes but we also realize that God LOVES us so much that He keeps pursuing us and teaching us and molding us. Do we wish God could teach us these lessons in a gentler way... Yes but we also realize that we are stubborn and human. That we want to be in control - and that every experience we have isn't just about us... it's bigger than us sometimes. Do we wish God would use others lives to impact us... Yes but we also realize Why Not Us? Why should we be spared the lessons that need to be taught. Why should we have life so easy? We also know that God loves us so much that He will see us through everything we go through. So as quickly as those Do We Wish thoughts come in our mind they are pushed back out.

I know we say it a lot, but we are very VERY very thankful again to everyone for all your prayers and support! You have made such an impact on our family and strengthened us when we needed it. We love you all!

Serving Him Faithfully,
Jeni, Rob, Robby and Sam

What If??

How many times have you heard your child ask... What If? How many times have you hesitated to do something because you asked... What If? Maybe you have even said no to doing mission work because there were so many What Ifs that you couldn't ignore. I know personally I have answered a lot of What Ifs from my family, from friends and from my own mind when we decided to serve in Austria.

The biggest What if was... What If Sam get's sick? With her disorder this What If is hightened even more because there is little you can prepare for or control. To prepare - we knew where the closest hospital was, to prepare - we knew the code to call for an ambulance, to prepare - we talked to her pediatric endocrinologist and had a medicine plan for Sam and had back up medicine just in case. To Prepare - we did everything we could do to control the situation IF it happened.

We were all prepared for Sam and the What If... but Saturday came and on a ride home from dinner Robby's nose broke lose. He typically has bloody noses here and there, but this was so different, so much more. By the time we got home his nose had stopped. Everyone went to bed, got up for breakfast and was heading to church when his nose broke loose again! Worse then the night before, worse then ever before!! Gushing blood he started to cry... the kid that never cries was melting in my arms with fear. So we asked the Pension (place we are staying) to call a doctor or an ambulance.

Meanwhile Sam was starting to Panic.. seeing what her brother was going through, fearing for him, seeing him cry became to much for her. As we started to walk Rob down the stairs to see a doctor Sam's legs gave out and she passed out. Trying to gracefully fall she bumped her head on the wall. I ran back to her as Rob took Robby downstairs. 

Sam came back around pretty quickly and kept saying Sorry Robby! I'm so Sorry Robby!! I walked her down a few more steps and she blacked out again and fell in my arms... her body was shutting down in the stress of it all. Her body was protecting her heart and her brain by shutting everything else down... she opened her eyes and said Mom give me the shot. I wasn't sure if she was in adrenal crisis or was she passing out because of all the blood.

I called down to Rob and he came back you to help me give Sam her Emergency Shot. During the whole time I could hear Robby giving directions to the Pension owner asking to call an ambulance... that his sister what in critical condition and she needed help immediately. It was so unreal at that moment to be helping my daughter and hearing my son take control of the situation.

Finally the ambulance comes and Robby directs them to take care of his sister first... we finally go in the ambulance and Sam directs the EMTs to take care of her brother. Two patients both battling who is worse! Thankfully the EMTs fit both kids in the ambulance, plus me and Rob too. Off to the hospital we GO...

Once at the kinder (children) hospital they try to understand what in the world is CAH? (Sam's disorder). The doctor and nurses do their best but ultimately they are listening to us for direction. They then want to take care of Robby but he begs them to take care of his sister first - that he will be ok. "Please just focus on my sister"

Was the medical care seamless... no

Was the medical care as fast as I would have like... no 

Was our international insurance representative helpful... no, ok not at first and after a lot of forceful conversataion from Rob to him over the phone but he did finally help us

But in the middle of the craziness God made sure everything was taken care of. HE provided our friend David to come and help with translation. HE provided a CAH ER protocol in Sam's medicine bag that we didn't realize we even had! HE provided medical staff that trusted us and really listened to our concerns. Finally they agree to admit Sam and give her an IV and watch her for 24 hours. HE did provide final connection between Sam's pediatric endocrinologist in the USA with the Austrian physician. 

The crazy thing is after it was all over we realize that the medical staff thought Sam passed out because she had a concussion... they didn't make the connection that her adrenal crisis was STRESS induced and she bumped her head on the way down. 

So the What Ifs all came true - Sam did get sick (and Robby too!), we had trouble getting medical help, we had trouble with translations, but God made everything OK through it all. HE was in control at every moment.

So 24 hours later... Robby has had one more nose bleed but the doctor showed him how to control it when they happen again and this one wasn't like the last 2. Sam had to wake up every 3 hours throughout the night so they could make sure she didn't have a concussion. Sam was given IV fluids, plenty of rest, double of her medication and now she is back at our Pension resting.

There are still so many What Ifs going on right now... the temperature here is 97 - suppose to hit as high as 99 by Thursday... so our What If we can't keep Sam comfortable? What If it just too HOT for her body to relax. We have What Ifs for Robby too... What If working at the Oasis will cause his allergies to kick in high gear and he keeps sneezing? What if his nose doesn't have enough time to heal? What If we should just go back home to the USA so the kids can just rest? What if we go back and this will be that moment in the kids lives that will be a fear that came true that won't let them take other chances in life because there are too many What Ifs they are asking.

So we have reached out to everyone in our life - family, friends, co-workers, so they can lift us up in prayer. Help us to push the What Ifs out of our lives and to Focus on God. Focus on the blessings He has already given us, to know what He wants us to do next, and to give HIM praise for loving us so much.

I know our little What If story was longgggggg but we felt called to share it with you because we know GOD has us here at this moment to learn this lesson and share it with everyone we can. So we are thankful to you for praying for us and for sharing this part of our life with you. We pray that you can feel God's unconditional love, God's grace, God's Hope, God's promise through our little What If experience.

Serving Him Faithfully,

Jeni, Rob, Robby and Samantha

We have arrived!! Thanks everyone for the prayers... our flight was smooth, transition from airport to pension was easy... we got our grocery shopping done and now we're chilling at the Oasis - trying to stay cool and out of the heat. It is 97 here! Praying for cooler weather :-)

We are visiting one of the new families that just joined the Oasis team tonight for dinner... Excited to meet new people!! Tomorrow we will head to church in the morning - not sure yet what the rest of the day has in store for us!! Just thankful we are here!!

This is the camp my father and his family stayed at when they were refugees in Austria... not the same camp we are going to be at... but when I look at this picture I just smile - because all the way back then God knew a little boy would grow up to have a daughter who would then go back and serve! I'm humbled to be a part of God's plan to show others His love and Grace.

Excited to see what God has in store for us! So far we have been asked to help with a Russian kids program and a Women's Program... along with the usual Clothing Room, Coffee Bar, Wednesday (Evangelistic) program... I have a feeling God will definitely fill our 2 weeks up! Bring it on :-)