HALLELUJA!
PRAISE THE LORD!
I
passed my exams!
Vienna,
17.-22.10.1994
Dear
I'm rejoicing
in the Lord's graciousness and love for us. During the last two
weeks I had the privilege to see so many marvellous things He
has done. But I'll try to start at the beginning.
After having
written "News from Vienna 1" I finally achieved to phone
my professor at university. He had been on a holiday and came
back the 11th of September. So I had my exam and passed
it!!! (Mark: 2)
I wanted to
start studying for the second exam immediately but had some concentration
troubles so I had the possibility to extend my deadline to the
end of October.
On the weekend
of the 30th September to the 2nd October I participated at the
SIMULATOR of Wycliffe-Bibletranslators. We were 40 people who
were more or less interested to go to the mission field. It was
a great weekend! We had several "games" simulating the
situation on the mission field what was very interesting. You
can better imagine what it really means to be there for the Lord.
On Sunday we had a special "Bingolian" (Bingola was
the name of the country where we were sent as Bibletranslators)
service. They simulated a service that exists in so many countries
around the world: A man from the neighbouring village who had
the Bible in a for him foreign language tried to translate it
and was translated by a man from this village. What they preached
was absolutely nonsense. The Lord really touched my heart while
listening so that I became terribly sad and that I could not think
of something else any more. I wanted to cry to God to send workers
into His harvest! How I long to go myself!
Another wonderful
thing of that weekend was that God answered a prayer that I had
been praying for a whole year. In October 1993 I started thinking
about what to do this year because it already was my own desire
to serve the Lord with all that I am, all that I have and all
that I do. So I started praying and thinking. There were three
possibilities: 1.) continuing to study astronomy and physics,
2.) starting to study physics and French to become a teacher,
3.) going to a Bible college. As the months were passing it seemed
more and more the right thing to do 2.), but I never was sure.
I hoped to get answers in England but although God answered many
questions He didn't answer this one. So when I came back it was
rather decided to do that but I wasn't totally sure. On the 23rd
of September I changed my studies into physics (for teaching),
French (for teaching) and still astronomy. But I still wasn't
convinced that it was the best to do so. At the Wycliffe-weekend
I again thought about finishing my studies about two years earlier
when studying astronomy. And then God gave me the assurance that
I did the right thing. The last day we had seminars and one of
those I went to was about "preparations for going".
Peter Kingston (Wycliffe England, one of the leaders) held it
and the first thing he said was that it is good having studied
mathematics and languages. That was as if he would have said,
it's the best preparation to study physics and French. I thank
God that He answered my prayers - one day before the courses at
university started!
So the 3rd
of October the courses at university started, still not having
a date for my second exam. There were several activities coming
up: an evangelistic drama I participated in (9th to 11th) and
an ÖSM (CU) outreach from the 17th to the 21st. So the only
possibility was to do it in between. The next day I got my date
for the 14th of October. So while the courses started I used every
free minute to study for the exam but that wasn't very much time.
Then the drama came and I couldn't study for days. So after the
drama I even studied harder and the last day before the exam I
stayed in the library till 10 p.m.. I was confident that the Lord
would help me to pass this exam. The next day I passed it (mark:
4)! I'm so grateful to the Lord that He has made that possible
and It hank you so much for your prayers concerning this problem!
Although having
so much work to do for the exam I decided to participate in the
evangelistic drama "Heaven's Gates & Hell's Flames".
"But
seek first His kingdom and is righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well." (Mat. 6,33)
Maybe you
have already heard about this drama. This ministry started about
15 years ago in America. Teams are now travelling all around the
world to perform "Heaven's Gates & Hell#s Flames"
with the people of the local church. My English speaking church
(Vienna Christian Center
- Assemblies of God) I am going to additionally, invited this
team to come to Vienna to perform this effective drama with us.
I participated thinking that far more people I invite would come
if I myself am standing on the stage. The drama is very clearly
and challengingly presenting the gospel. After a sort of pantomime
about Jesus' scourging, crucifixion and resurrection, the actual
play beings. There are short scenes e.g. an old lady (Christian),
two "drugies" (Non-Christian),
a Christian family, husband (NC) and
wife (C), two secretaries (C and NC), two construction workers
(C and the other becoming C), two sisters (NC) and Mother (NC)
and daughter (C). They all die at the end of their scene and wake
up in heaven where they recognize their mistake when they see
the book of life and are judged. They all go either to heaven
with Jesus or Satan comes to take them with him. The technical
effects are really great and the scenes speak so clearly that
even people who didn't speak English understood the message and
that e.g. a Croatian family who didn't speak any English at all
came to the front and got saved!!!
I "played" one of the angels who just stood on the stage
all the time and who point to heaven or to hell. The good thing
was, that I didn't have many rehearsals and that I could pray
during the whole drama. We have been praying a lot during these
days, for specific people and that God would work mightily among
the spectators. I myself have intensively been praying especially
for my family and for my friend Yvonne who has already come to
church and the ÖSM several times and with whom I'm doing
Bible study whenever possible. For my great joy my mother and
my grandparents promised to come, my mother's partner Heinzi didn't
want to come and my brother refused to come very aggressively.
The first night (Sunday the 9th) the hall was full with people
so that some of them had to stand in the back. The second night
was the last possibility for my brother to come. When I left,
tears were running down because he wouldn't come but I cried to
the Lord for mercy for Him and that he would bring my brother
into his Kingdom. Ronald didn't come and I was very sad. The last
night my mother, Heinzi (!), my grandparents and Yvonne came.
I prayed and prayed and prayed but nothing visible happened. They
said that the drama wasn't bad. That was all and I was a bit disappointed
but only God knows what He has started in their hearts that evening.
Every night
the cast (50 people) shared what God did in is great mercy. Friends
for who we had been praying for years gave their lives to Jesus
and many more people. Satan didn't like what we were doing there
and so many things happened to all of us. When I came to my car
in the morning after the first night somebody had opened the valve
of one of my tyres so that I could not drive any more.
During those three days 80 people came to know Jesus Christ as
their personal saviour!!! Isn't our Lord wonderful?! They'll have
a lot of work with the course about the basis for Christianity.
Three days later I had my second exam (14th) and then the preparations
for the ÖSM-outreach began for me. It started last Monday
the 17th and lasts the whole week. During the day we have booktables
and hand out invitations for the talks in the evening. We have
rented the cafeteria of the main University in Vienna. It is really
great that we have the possibility to do the there and the Lord
provided for all the money we needed for this outreach in a wonderful
way. The speaker is the leader of the German IFES-movement (SMD)
Martin Hainzmann. Our theme is (it's not possible to translate
it really properly) "desire for meeting with..." "...me
(self-realization - Monday)" "...us (friendship - Tuesday)"
"...God (truth - Wednesday)" "...you (partnership
- Thursday)".
I wasn't
there on Monday night (I had a very important meeting at he observatory
- unfortunately) and on Tuesday night (Joni Earickson Tada was
talking), but I was there yesterday (Wednesday) and I'll go there
tonight (actually I have to leave soon - I use every free minute
to finish this letter).
There are
about thirty people in the team, mainly from Austria, who are
helping with the booktables etc.. The first night there were rather
few people, Tuesday night even less. On Wednesday one of my friends,
Yvonne wanted to come. She already came to church several times
and is coming to ÖSM-events too. Last year we started to
do the "Basic Christian Training" by Jean Gibson together.
In September we started again doing it (once till now). She can't
understand why Christianity should be the only way and just can't
imagine many things to be true. I once asked her why she is doing
this course with me. She answered that she does it for general
education. I was really praying that the Lord would show her that
His word is the truth through "Heaven's Gates & Hell's
Flames" but she didn't understand. When Yvonne told me Wednesday
morning that she wouldn't come in the evening I was really sad.
She said that she would meet a friend (I think that she just invented
an excuse like the day before when I invited her to Joni's).Nevertheless
I continued praying for her all day and in the evening she suddenly
stood before me! I was so grateful to the Lord that he had answered
my prayers. Martin Haizmann talked in a very good way about what
it means to be a Christian, how to become a Christian and how
life goes on after a decision. I really thank God also that He
had brought so many people to this talk (more than the days before).
There was one student sitting at our table who knew everything,
believed everything but who was afraid of giving his life to Jesus.
Yvonne didn't say anything but "quite nice" (like always)
but I believe the Lord is working in her heart and that Yvonne
will give Him her life one day.
The last
night the room was crowded with people. Many came for the first
time, and Martin's talk was quite good this evening. We had some
good conversations with students and many of them are interested
to participate in a Bible study group. There will be some new
groups that start and I will lead one of those with one of the
IFES-team member's (Amy). Please pray for the preparation and
the right people to participate. The first evening will be the
2nd November.
I have to
tell you about a great conversation I had last Monday. My brother
always has been very aggressive against my faith and at the moment
it's not possible to talk with him reasonably anyway. When my
parents left last Monday by brother suddenly asked me (motivated
by what he heard about "Heaven's Gates & Hell's Flames"
I believe) if I would be sad if he died. For the first time we
had a real conversation about my faith and the gospel. He said
that he believed that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died
for everybody's sin. Finally I asked him to give God a chance
and he was ready to do that. After praying the first two sentences
he stopped because he couldn't hand over his life to Jesus. On
the one hand I was sad about that, on the other hand I praise
God that he showed me that He is listening to my prayers, that
He answers them and that He is working in my brother's heart.
Now back to
the 18th - Joni Eareckson Tada in Vienna. That morning I asked
one of the students I have met recently in my new courses if she
would like to come with me. So we went to Joni's together. It
was great to listen to Joni how the Lord helped her to manage
her life. My friend Julia was really impressed. We had a really
great converstaion and I had the possibility to witness to her
personally. It was amazing how the Lord had led her there. She
told me afterwards that her cousin was a very close friend duing
their childhood till she had an accident and the doctors said
that she wouldn't walk any more and that she could be mentally
handicapped (what she wasn't). Meanwhile she is able to walk but
it was hard for Julia to see all those things happen to her friend.
She said she would send her the video of Joni's talk. I had the
impression that she thinks that only the handicapped would need
Jesus to manage their lives.
I also want
to thank you for praying for my situation at home. It's encouraging
to se how it's getting better. The Lord really is at work. Unfortunately
it's getting worse again at the moment but I believe it will be
better soon. At the moment I have the intention to continue living
at home for some time. I couldn't find anything I could afford.
So I'll do the best of my situation and am still praying for somehwere
else to live.
Another thing
I mentioned in "News from Vienna 1" was the trial. I
still haven't called the lawyer yet but will do that immediately
on Monday.
Concerning
my father, I didn't have the possibility to do anything about
that yet either.
Praise
the Lord for:
- the exams
I passed
- giving
me the assurance of having done the right thing to change my
studies that way
- 80 new
children of God
Please
pray for:
- my family
situation and a flat for my own
- my brother
Ronald, Yvonne and Julia
- the Bible
study group we'll start the 9th
- the meeting
with my lawyer
- my father
that I achieve to contact him
I really prasei
the Lord for all He has done in my life during the last months
and weeks, for all he has shown me and taught me. Isn't He wonderful?
"You
turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed
me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give You thanks for ever."
(Ps 30,11-12)
The Lord bless
you richly and show you His great love and mercy.
All the best.
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