Q & A - Take 1

Wow! I can't believe the flood of email that I've received with such insightful questions. Well, maybe flood is not the right word. Maybe light shower is more appropriate. Or fine mist. Maybe just a fog. But in any event, there are questions in my inbox. (And even if there weren't and I'm making this all up, you could never prove anything!)

First, to address Sharkdog -- You know why you have to wear the collar when we leave. Someone told us that the neighbors would call the police if there was a lot of dog barking. And that someone is one of our neighbors! So really, it's for your own protection.

And now, I think the next question can best be summed up with this clip:



So, what is it that we're doing here? Before I answer, I think it's important to point out that what we're doing here is a new work, not a work-in-progress. I didn't fully realize this distinction until I landed in Vienna. My previous experience with missions was with a work that had been started years earlier and I had a specific task for a specific duration. When we landed in Vienna and no one was there to pick us up, I quickly realized that this experience was going to be quite different.

What does it mean that we're not joining a work-in-progress? I guess it means that what we're doing now won't look like what you're used to. We don't meet together each Sunday. (Right now, we are meeting with the existing congregations and trying to form relationships with the Christians there.) We don't hold gospel meetings or seminars. We don't even have small group or one-on-one studies. That's not to say that we're not going to do these things (or that we are going to do all of them), just that we're not there yet.

Now that I've told you what we're not doing, you're probably wondering what we are doing. The short answer is "settling".

Of course, there's also a long answer. One of our main objectives right now is to figure out how to do things right -- how (and when) to shop, how to wash our clothes, how to use public transportation, and so on. We even have to learn how to take out the trash properly! Also, there are a lot of legal requirements we must fulfill in order to stay in Austria. We're in this for the long haul, so we want to make sure we start off right.

Next month, Brian and I will start language school and start the long road to learning German. Not only do we feel like it's important to be able to speak German in order to reach people on a personal level, the government feels it is important in order for us to live here. When we get our visas, we must sign an agreement that we will study German (language) and Austrian culture and will eventually be tested on these subjects. For at least the next six months, we will spend about four hours a day, five days a week at the university.

I know this is already long, but there is a related question that I would like to tack on.

One question that was asked is whether we are working with the existing congregations and programs that they have established. My answer is, "not right now." During our first two weeks in Vienna we were offered the opportunity to lead Bible studies for African refugees and to teach classes at a private university loosely associated with the churches of Christ. Both of these are good opportunities, but at this time we want to focus on learning German and finding our place in our community. That's not to say that we don't plan on participating in existing programs, just that we want to be careful not to accept a leadership role that will later prevent us from doing the work that we've set out to do.

Keep the questions coming. I promise all of my answers will not be this long.