A Lesson in Hope from my Refugee Guest

As we sat down for our meal, Ali asked if he could take a picture. "I want to remember this time together," he explained.

Let me back up. We had invited our friend, Hamid, a refugee from Afghanistan to come over for dinner. Hamid lived with us in Vienna for a couple weeks last summer. He was going through a challenging time and needed the extra support of a safe home to live for awhile. Little did we know what joy he would bring into our lives. We loved our evening prayer times and felt honored to learn about his story and journey to Austria. 

The day of our dinner, Hamid asked if he could bring a friend. Of course, I always cook too much food anyway. I just want to be like my niece's Italian mother, whose motto is "FEED ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE FOOD ALL OF THE TIME." There was plenty to share.

Hamid guided Ali to the family room. Ali is blind and works as an interpreter. Both men grew up in Muslim families, but are now both following Jesus because of the kindness of Christians they encountered upon arrival in Europe. I don't know the details of Ali's blindness, but when he explained why he wanted a picture, I was amazed.

"I hope to see someday, so I am taking pictures of all the places I visit so I will be able to see them then."

Ali was taking action on future belief. His hope compelled him to do something now.

I have not been able to shake this question all week: What can I do today that prepares me for the future I long to have?

What are your hopes for the future? What are you doing now to take a step in that direction?

*Hamid gave me permission to share this story.

Happy John Wesley Day!

Today we celebrate the 277th anniversary of John Wesley’s conversion. It is a special day because this year's anniversary falls on Pentecost Sunday. Over the last couple of years visiting the Wesleyan Holiness churches in the British Isles and my sister during their stint at Oxford, we have had the great privilege to visit important Wesley sites in Oxford and London. Let me share some highlights with you as we reflect on Wesley's life. 

John Wesley attended Oxford, soon followed by his younger brother, Charles. They formed a small group focused on practices, or methods (get it, "methodists"), to put off patterns of the world and put on Christian behaviors such as studying the Bible for hours every day, prayer, and visiting prisons. They boldly called this group the Holy Club. John and Charles followed their father's path into ministry, both being ordained in the Anglican Church while at Oxford. The brothers went to Georgia as missionaries and tried imposing their Holy Club methods on the congregation, but it didn't go so well. They returned to England discouraged.

With Andy and Juli Elliot at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford

Students of Christ Church
Leaders of the Methodist Revival
Ordained in this Cathedral

Isn't it ironic that this brilliant teacher, ordained minister, zealous missionary still had not yet experienced God's grace? Finally on May 24, 1738, John Wesley had an experience that changed everything. He described the event in his journal, “I felt my heart strangely warmed.” He recognized that his effort without God’s grace was not enough. Back in 1738 Charles's conversion actually occurred on Pentecost Sunday, while his brother's was three days later. These brothers shared so much together in their lives, and I love how the younger brother was a great influence on the older.

28 Aldersgate, London. Probable site of John Wesley's conversion.

John Wesley's Conversion Memorial with the text of his diary:
"About a Quarter before Nine I felt my heart strangely warm'd"

Here is a man who tried to Put off and Put on without Being Made New. These three imperatives are found together in scripture. Last week I had the opportunity to preach on Ephesians 4:20-24, which turned out to be so timely with Wesley's life experience rolling around in my head.

That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Many people view Christianity as just the first and last of these imperatives: Put off , "don’t do these things" and Put on, "do these things". I would say the most critical of the three is the middle one: Being made new. Without the power of Christ making us new, we will be frustrated by the inability to keep doing, or not doing, “the list.”

Being made new is the beauty of the Christian life. It’s about progress and movement, not about a list of dos and don'ts. While this verb is a command, it is reflexive, meaning that it’s something that is being done to us. This is about our posture of welcoming the Holy Spirit’s work in our life to transform us. Keep the imagery of school in mind here mentioned in verses 20 and 21. We need to continue placing ourselves in an environment to grow and change. We are not stagnant or finished. This is God’s work in our hearts and lives and we welcome ongoing growth. 

John Wesley's 5 decades of ministry following his conversion were given to share the experience of true inner transformation, of being made new, with others. By the end of his life he had preached 40,000 sermons (how this frequently shared stat is even mathematically possible baffles me) and travelled 250,000 miles by horseback. Some say his influence on reforming British society prevented the revolution experienced in France.

Just a few weeks ago, we visited Wesley's Chapel in London on a Sunday morning. They announced their plans to celebrate this day with special services at various historical Wesley sites in London. I am with them in spirit today, thankful for the heritage of a changed heart made new.

May 2015

How big or small is your world?

"Dillon and Kayli are going to university in the states. Dillon is near Detroit and Kayli is in Chicago." I recently was telling some new friends here about my children. They knew Emma was with us here in Vienna, but didn't realize she had two older siblings.

At the same time I said, "so they're not very far apart," they both said, "they're so far apart!"

Ah, Europe.

We all laughed. One said that her husband once had a meeting 7 hours away by car. They decided to book a hotel to break up the journey.

I told them about our 18 hour straight road trip to Breckenridge for spring break with our kids ages 7, 11 and 13. Dave's dad's famous phrase was repeated at every gas station:

"When my tank is full, yours had better be empty!"

We have lived for a year and a half without a car.  Here in Vienna there is no need to have one.  Well, of course it will be great for grocery shopping, but my bike has done the trick with my fantastic panniers.  Groceries are heavy.

I should name my bike.
I'll be taking suggestions in the comment section.

It's just a bummer when you're caught in the rain.

But this summer we have the use of one of our teammates' cars.  Next week we are road tripping to speak at a church retreat in Poland.  I'm so excited.  When Dave and I were first married we read the Chronicles of Narnia out loud to each other on road trips.  I think we will have to do that again.

We are planning to purchase a car here in the fall.  It will be helpful to visit some of our teams and there is a certain freedom with having a car.  Owning a car...I imagine it would be like having a pool in Michigan.  I am sure will gain a lot of friends.  But I haven't hated not having one.  The public transportation in Vienna is one of our favorite features of living here (and the museums).  That will still be a daily part of our lives.  But having a car will also enable us to explore places along the way on our travels.  Our world will definitely get bigger!

Kicking off Holy Week

One of Vienna's monikers is "The City of Music". The city tourism office touts that more composers have lived in Vienna than any other city in the world. So unlike Los Angeles' Walk of Fame honors movie celebrities, Vienna's stars include composers such as Mozart and Salieri (of Amadeus fame), Haydn, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Strauss. Many of these composers knew each other, were students and teachers of each other, and were friends. Just the other day I caught this pic at the State Opera House.

Gustav Mahler
composer and one-time director of the Vienna State Opera

The rich music scene in Vienna continues to this day and frankly overwhelms me. I recently read that around 10,000 people listen to live classical music in Vienna every night! 

I finally took the plunge and picked one:  Bach's St. Johns Passion at the Wiener Konzerthaus by the Vienna Symphony.

And I'm so glad I did. It was the perfect kick-off to Holy Week.

We invited our friends, Casey and Kendra, to join us.

yes, that's the back of the auditorium...

Even the ceiling of the Wiener Konzerthaus is spectacular!

How to survive a concert while you have a cold

I had asked my sister, Juli, which rendition of the St. Johns is the best to purchase. I wanted to get familiar with the music before we heard the live version.  She recommended the Bach Collegium Japan conducted by Suzuki. Fantastic. I highly recommend anyone going to a concert to get familiar with the music first. Thankfully I had also searched out the German/English side-by-side translation of the text and Dave downloaded it to his iPad. I still purchased a program to have the German text in front of me. It was fun to pick out some of the words and phrases, but I frequently leaned over to check out the translation to gain the deeper meaning.  

I loved our Evangelist. It's a critical part, he's like a narrator but also has some lovely solos. Clear voice, beautiful.

My favorite lines:

My precious Savior, let me ask,
Now that you have been nailed to the Cross
and have said yourself:  It is finished,
Am I made free from death?
Can I through your pain and death inherit the kingdom of heaven?
Has the redemption of the whole world arrived?
You cannot say a single thing out of pain:
yet you bow Your head and say silently yes.

I found it interesting that the St. John ends after Christ's death. I wanted the resurrection scene! And yet without going there so quickly, I find myself thinking more on Christ's suffering this week. I'm more aware of His pain, my pain, our world's longing for all to be made right and made new.

Banana and Lime Prayers

Have you ever said you'd pray for someone and then forgotten to do it? Repeatedly I am amazed at our support team's faithfulness in prayer.  

(shout out to my prayer ladies!!)

When we first became missionaries with Global Partners, Dave and I each asked a group of friends to pray more intently for us. These groups receive more frequent communication from us with more detail about how to be praying for us.  

When I asked my friend, Becky Gray, to pray, she sent this reply:

Yes, Dina, I would love to specifically pray for you.  I have been doing that lately under an odd reminder.  I learned from you how to peel a banana from the bottom and each time I have a banana I pray for you.  God can use any reminder, can't he??

Hilarious! When Dillon was a baby, I had learned to peel bananas by pinching the bottom end instead of pulling the top stem to the side, which many times bruises the banana. I must have shared that tip with Becky, and now that has become her physical reminder to pray.

In January I had the privilege of meeting Russ Gunsalus, the Executive Director of Education and Clergy Development for the Wesleyan Church. We were discussing my developing role with Global Partners in Europe. The guy is a visionary, and before long had me dreaming about what kind of leadership role I could play. We had just heard an inspiring story about a group called "Lemon Aid" so he joked that I could call my new project "Lime Aid". Before we parted, he promised to pray for us every time he saw a lime.  I'm not sure I quite believed him, he's a busy guy. But here are just a few of the picture texts we have received from him in the past 6 weeks with a reminder that he's praying for us.

In a way, using such tangible methods to remember to pray is much like those throughout the ages who prayed the hours. I am blessed by these friends who keep us in their prayers.

Dave and I have committed to praying together every day at the same time during lent. Would you like to join us?

Advent 2013 Week 4: JOY

Much like New York, joy is a state of mind. Dave's mom is the quintessential illustration of joy. Her personal slogan, which I've heard many times through the years, proves my point.

I will let nothing rob me of my joy today.

She would recite this when anything was amiss:  lost car keys, delayed flights, plans run amok. And now I see her living it out as her husband's mind is tragically being twisted by dementia. She is a living demonstration of that crazy call of James

when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 

Like I said, crazy, right? How can one find great joy in the midst of troubles? Dee practiced it for decades: through choosing joy as a response to all circumstance. To slow down, enjoy people, and find God's presence in every situation.

Last night we sang Christmas carols with some new friends here in Vienna. God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen was especially poignant to me.

God rest you merry, Gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ our Savior
Was born upon this day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray
    O tidings of comfort and joy,
    Comfort and joy
    O tidings of comfort and joy.

To understand the carol, one must have a little old English refresher. The word rest means "keep" or "make" with you being the recipient of the keeping or making. Those pesky commas play a critical role as well, much like "Let's eat grandma" makes much more sense as "Let's eat, grandma." This isn't referring to "merry gentlemen" at all, it's a blessing and wish that God would make us merry, filled with joy. When we sing this carol we are announcing that God brings us comfort, He is the source of our joy.

Dee learned Joy from her parents.  They were the most adorable people, who liked to wear matching clothes. Clarence memorized and on many occasions recited Psalm 100. May God grant you joy found not in circumstance, but in a deep abiding understanding of who He is and His great love for you.

Psalm 100
A psalm of thanksgiving. 
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Advent 2013 Week 3: LOVE

I love to feel loved. That longing is part of who we are as humans. That sense of belonging, of being understood, known and accepted.

I Corinthians 13 is the classic go-to in Christian circles for finding God's definition of love.  This chapter does not focus on me receiving love. On the contrary, it is about the love I give others. I chuckle at the first verse regarding language-learning without any love for others as pure noise. My German sounds like a lot of noisy gongs and clanging cymbals most days! But as I read through those first few verses, I find a pretty good list of what love is NOT:

• accomplishment - even of spiritual acts
• knowledge - even of spiritual truths
• works - even from great faith
• giving - even of my own body

The key in loving others must be something other than just these acts alone. Perhaps even something smaller. Read on in verses 4-7.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, it is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

I cannot show this kind of love without the resource of God's spirit in my life. When I grasp His love for me, I can pass that along to others without such a need for reciprocation or validation. I belong to God. I am understood, known and accepted by Him. Christmas is the perfect time to reflect on His great love for us, and in turn, how we can more beautifully and humbly show love to others.

Advent 2013 Week 2: FAITH

My favorite word in German is gemütlichkeit. It's one of those words that doesn't directly translate into English. If one looks it up in a German-English dictionary one would find words like

• cozy
• comfortable ambience
• atmosphere of comfort, peace and acceptance

But my favorite definition comes from one of our teammates, Dave Babcock, who has lived in Vienna for 44 years.

Gemütlichkeit is the musty aroma, the candlelight, the half-lit corner table with a vaulted ceiling in an ancient Gasthaus (inn).  I am a romantic with a deep desire to hold my dear wife's hand, look into her eyes and know her love and acceptance.  

You really do need a whole paragraph to get a grasp of the concept.  A single word won't do.

Our theme for the second week of Advent is faith. This is one of those words that is difficult to describe. It's like we're Germans trying to explain what gemütlichkeit is to our English speaking friends.

Faith is like belief, and yet more than belief. A key to understanding faith is recognizing that it is God-given. We don't muster up faith. It is God's gift to us in salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9) and our faith can continue to grow and expand (Hebrews 12:2). Scripture reminds us that we are to demonstrate faith in how we live, it shows in our actions. James makes his famous case that "faith without works is dead" (2:26). So two main points:  

1. Faith is a gift from God. Are you receiving that in increasing measure?  
2. Faith is revealed in action. Are others aware of your growing faith?

As we live this second week of Advent, of our waiting with anticipation for Christ's coming, may we seek to grow in faith and demonstrate it to those in our community.

Hebrews 12:2
We [run the race set before us] by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. 

Romans 10:17 Yet faith comes from listening to this message of good news -- the Good News about Christ.

Advent 2013 Week 1: HOPE

ADVENT

I love the season of advent.  It takes me back to my childhood.  Each week at church a family would read a scripture, share the theme of the week and light the candle.  What a thrill to be chosen to handle fire in church!

15 years ago we were living in Azerbaijan, working with World Hope.  Emma was just a baby; Kayli and Dillon were 4 and 5 years old.  I wanted to continue our advent wreath tradition, but there weren’t any convenient supplies to be found.  Under the cover of night, I went out with my trusty kitchen scissors to cut off small branches of pine trees and holly in the neighborhood to make our wreath.  I am committed to the advent wreath tradition!

I used to think that Advent meant remembering because it held such a sentimental place in my heart.  It is kind of like communion, but not in that way.  It’s a time of waiting.  Of expectation.  Both communion and advent look forward to the return of Christ. 

I’ve challenged myself to write a little reflection on each of the themes of Advent this year.  There are different traditions in the themes and the order in which they are celebrated.  I’m using the official Wesleyan Church order because, well, that’s my tradition: Hope, Faith, Love, Joy.

The First Week of Advent:  HOPE

December 1, 2013

My class at Taylor University buried a time capsule just before graduation to be opened at our 25^th reunion, which took place this fall.  I received my envelope last week.  I remember feeling so strange about writing a note to my future self.  So much was unknown for me.  Dave and I had been dating for three years and were heading on a missions trip to Central America for 6 weeks, then I had internship plans at a law firm that fall.  I had only mapped out about 6 months of my life, much less 25 years!  My letter is boring and bland.  I continue to be terrible at dreaming to this day. 

Dave also wrote me a letter, and skirted around the issue of our future relationship. He was a year younger than me, not quite ready to make a lasting marriage commitment.    He wished me good health and general pleasantries.  He closed the letter with a list of his favorite things including: 

• Tony Campolo
• The Sound of Music
• Riding bikes
• U2
• Taylor University
• The book of Acts – Do we live like true disciples?

It reminded me of so many of the reasons I fell in love with him. 

Then he scribbled this on the back:

But, I plan to marry you in about a year and a half.  I hope you bear my children and we live happily together.  (Don’t be mad if we don’t)

Dave had an optimistic hope with a side of caution.  He couldn’t control the whole situation.  I was the wildcard.  His hopes did come true, however, and it only took one year.

The best part of our hope in God is that we can count on all that He has promised.  The object of our hope is secure.  We can be confident that when our hopes are aligned with God’s word, they will be fulfilled.  When we grow in our understanding of who God is, and who we are in His sight, we see how He gives us positivity for the future.  We aren’t waiting for Christmas hoping in the way we hope for good weather or that our favorite team wins a big game.

As we wait for Christmas this year, let us align our thoughts, motives and hearts to all that God wants to do in our lives and communities.  We hope for His transforming power in our lives to shape us and use us for His good in this world.

Romans 15:13

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Little Girls

A little girl climbed up into the seat across from me on the Ubahn today.  Her mom lugging a backpack and stuffed animals sat beside her.  Both mom and daughter took turns straightening the blanket on her lovies.  She squirmed in her seat, trying to see out the window, finally getting her feet tucked under her bottom as a booster.  She squealed when she saw the Danube River.  She stretched her neck to see the tops of the curved UN buildings.  She pointed out the football field to her mom with excitement.

Her mom gently held out her arm as a brace every time the Ubahn came to a stop.  She brushed the hair out of her daughter's eyes.  They held hands and the mom rubbed her thumb over the pudgy back side of her little hand.  It was a tender moment.

I used to have little girls.

I held out my arm for them in the car if we came to a sudden stop.  We affectionately called it "the mom arm."

I brushed their hair back, and even pulled it back in a hair tie to prevent syrup tangles on pancake mornings.

I held their hands.

I loved my girls.

My little girls are teenagers now.  It's not as simple as it was then.  I can get distracted by their activities and relationships and regret for my weaknesses.  Today I was reminded that motherhood isn't just schedules and cooking and cleaning.  It's tenderness and listening and care.  I am still learning how to be a mom.  And I thought I was almost finished.

Stadtwanderwegs - Part 1

One of my favorite ways to explore Vienna is by its hiking trails. There are 11 circle paths laid out throughout the city, each one takes anywhere from 3-5 hours. Vienna has well over 500 kilometers of hiking trails 90% of which are in woods and nature.

My goal is to complete all of the Stadtwanderwegs (city hiking trails). And let me tell you why. You can get a pin! If you collect 4 stamps you get a silver pin, and for 7 stamps you upgrade to GOLD! That, my friends, is serious motivation.

Stadtwanderweg 4:  Jubiläumswarte
Last month my friend, Lisa, and I ventured out on Stadtwanderweg 4:  Jubiläumswarte. I was glad Lisa taught me how to look for the signs, as they are not always easy to find. Kind of makes for a fun adventure, though.

 At least the first half of this pond is accurately named:  Silver Lake

Such a typical scene. I see many elderly people out in nature here.

Some cheaters take the bus.

A highlight of the Jubiläumswarte trail is the tower you can climb to have a fabulous 360° view of the city.  For those of you who know me well, yes, I climbed to the top by clinging to the center pole.  I am SUCH a chicken when it comes to heights.

Worth conquering my fears

What?! The stamp has been stolen? Lisa and I both had looked up info on the hike and found an article that said this particular stamp many times is "purloined". I was very sad that I couldn't get my stamp, but hope this pathetic picture will convince them that I was there.

Post hike we stopped at Trzesniewski, a Viennese open faced sandwich joint with 9 locations where people usually order their sandwich (or two or three) and eat standing up. I skipped the Pfiff of beer you can order, coming in at a mere .2 litres. So funny to see people carrying their mini beer steins to their high top tables.  


Stadtwanderweg 5:  Bisamberg
On Kayli's final day before heading back to University, we took a family hike through the vineyards. A friend of mine described Bisamberg as a Garden of Eden, where you can pick fruit and nuts all along the path.  

Harvest Time

Not sure why my family was posing as superheroes.

We also found a lovely cafe along the way. The Austrians sure love their outdoor cafes.  We ordered two bowls of Ginger Pumpkin Soup to share. And then promptly ordered two more. Sehr lekker!



Stadtwanderweg 8:  Sofienalpe
My friend, Julia, invited us to join her for a hike and a picnic lunch on her birthday. I was so happy to join in the fun for more exploring. It was also lovely in this group to have a mix of English and German spoken throughout the hike.  

Fall crocus? On such a cold fall day it was surprising to see so much color.

The group ended up taking a shortcut back home, so I missed the stamping point. Someday I will have to go back to complete the hike. I am so thankful the hike took a different path home or I would have missed these gems.

Quite a mushroom collection

We also came upon the most unique cemetery I've ever seen. The deceased are cremated, then their ashes are buried at the base of a chosen tree. They become a part of the cycle of life and people can still have a place to come to remember their loved ones. It's so beautiful and serene. Some trees have family names, but some are according to themes.

Tree of Love - I think this is the one where Dave and I should be buried.

Which tree would you choose?

Stadtwanderweg 9:  Prater
My sister, Juli, came for a quick visit from Oxford, England, where she and her husband are living for his sabbatical year from his post at the University of Rochester in New York. She is used to rainy England so we didn't let the drizzly day bother us. As my friend and EcoTrek Fitness founder Cari Draft says, "There is no bad weather. Just bad gear."  

This Stadtwanderweg has the least amount of feeling that you are away from the city.  In fact, the trail takes you under the highway we take to the airport. At first I was disappointed by this, and yet I love the fact that Vienna has not allowed urbanization to take over this prime piece of real estate.

What a joy to spend the afternoon catching up on some serious sister time, sharing about our families and life experiences. Juli has travelled the world, shares my love of learning, and is someone I deeply respect. It was so life-giving to have her here.

Part of the reason why this hike took us nearly 5 hours...

Stempel Progress

Three and a half Stadtwanderwegs complete. I will keep you posted on my progress. One silver pin coming soon!