Hey everybody! This will be the first of many updates to come! As mentioned in our previous letter, we’ll be serving for 23 months through ReachGlobal. Before we leave we must be 100% funded ($6000/month, $138,000), and we’re almost halfway there! We’re so grateful to everyone who’s already supporting us through prayer and financially, you truly are a blessing! Please let us know of anyone who has a heart for youth and would be interested in talking with us. As God has been leading us through this support raising process, we have been growing and challenged in many different ways. We have been learning many things about ourselves, our Heavenly Father, as well as what life will be like in Innsbruck, Austria. 


In the summer of 2009, I (Seth) served at an English camp in Reutte, Austria. While at camp, I noticed the close friendships shared by some of the youth. After getting to know them better, I realized that many of them lived hours apart, seeing each other only once a year. In fact, many of the youth hardly know of other Christians in their school! As I reflected on my time in High school, I remembered the importance of having Christians close by I could rely on. With this in mind, we're motivated to reach the Austrian youth with the love of Christ and lord-willing, lead them to do the same with their friends. 

Being a Christian is not common in Innsbruck. In fact, there are only about eight solid churches in a city of nearly 130,000 people! None of these churches are larger than 100 attendees. Although the churches are different denominations, they work together for many ministries. We will be a part of the children and youth ministry including; youth group, bible studies, discipleship, and various outreaches. Our main focus along with the rest of the Innsbruck team, will be mobilizing youth for Jesus and building them up to be leaders in the body of Christ.


One exciting ministry in Innsbruck is the Lighthouse (similar to a youth center). The Lighthouse is open for after school tutoring, hang out nights, prayer & praise, as well as the beginnings of a Christian counseling program. In their schools, students are not served lunch, but instead are given an hour off. Many live too far away to be worth going home, so instead they'll eat out...every day. As a result, the Lighthouse is open during that time so students can eat and spend time with friends, as a cheaper alternative. This time is a great opportunity to build relationships with the youth of Innsbruck. Although the Lighthouse is still a relatively new ministry, God has been working through it. Please be praying for what the Lord has in store for the Lighthouse .


Sports ministry is a big part of what we will do as ministry team in Innsbruck. We’ll be working at meeting the kids where they’re at, building relationships through sports, and hopefully using those relationships to lead them to our Savior. We’ll be doing this through a variety of sports, including; Volleyball, Basketball, and Soccer. This will be a new ministry for the Innsbruck team. We’re excited to see how God will work through it.


There is a training at the end of August that we will be attending and are planning on leaving for Austria before the end of the year. We appreciate your prayers as we continue on the support raising process. You can keep updated by signing up for our e-mail updates, contact seth.sander@efca.org. Would you join us in bringing Christ to Innsbruck by praying for us on a weekly basis and giving monthly to advance the Kingdom of God?




In Christ, 
Seth & Alyssa

The Lighthouse