Geminde Wochenende

This last weekend we had our church retreat. We drove about 2 hours away and were up in the mountains with almost 50 people from our church. Going into it I was a little nervous for all the German that would be spoken through the weekend but for the most part it went very well. There were a few situations where we struggled to understand which can be frustrating because that is generally the things that we want to understand the most. However God really used this time for us to grow closer and get to know those in our church better. We had a speaker from Germany that was there which is a blessing because people from Germany are generally a lot easier to understand than those from Austria, they speak in less dialect. I was really challenged by the things the speaker shared as well as with the small groups that we would have after each talk. We talked about the role of the church as well as what we are called to as believers. We talked about prayer and the importance of praying together and for one another as well as being intentional with those we are living around to share Christ's love. We also took a good look at ourselves and the areas that we are not willing to give control over to God. There were four great messages as well as great times of fellowship together. Most of the weekend it was raining and cloudy but the last day it cleared up and we were able to see how truly beautiful this area is. We were also able to go on walks through the mountains. 

This week we were able to have our first team meeting since before the summer that we were all together. It was great to have everyone there but I also have some prayer requests for each of us.

Carrie - Her sister had her baby yesterday, it was an emergency c-section and there were a lot of complications considering she has diabetes and after they found out she was pregnant they discovered a tumor that was growing on her uterus that was the size of a softball (which they have not yet been able to remove). Her sister experienced a lot of blood loss and the baby had problems breathing but almost 24 hours after the birth they were able to be united together. Please be praying for their health as well as Carrie's heart as she is here and unable to be there with her sister while she is going through this tough time.

Dave - He has struggled with bronchitis for the last 6 years or so, sometimes being so bad that he was sick at home for almost a whole winter a few years back. It has been something he has struggled with for a while but last winter was able to stay healthy pretty much the whole winter. However he has been sick with bronchitis for pretty much this whole week so far. Please pray that his health returns and that he stays free from sickness for the rest of the fall and winter.

Cathrin & I - Tomorrow we are driving a couple hours away and will be attending, for the weekend, a Tirol wide (that's our state) Christian women's conference. We are excited to be able to get to know some of the other believing women in Tirol. We ask for prayers of safety while driving as well as for our time there.

Seth - This weekend with Dave sick and Cathrin and I gone, Seth will be at the Lighthouse as the only scheduled leader for the Friday hangout time. Please pray for guidance for him as well as that God will bring other leaders there to just spend the evening as well as many youth!

Also be in prayer as Seth's birthday is coming up in only 10 days. It will be strange not being around our family during this time. Please pray that Seth will have a very special day here and be able to celebrate it with many friends. 

We also have a big praise! We have been in need of a couch since we moved into this apartment and have been looking around a lot but been discouraged with how expensive couches are. If we knew we were staying here longer term then we may have been more willing to spend more but for only a year and two months more it seemed silly to spend the money. However a couple days ago Carrie (our team mate) was having coffee at a friends house and one of this first things they said was do you know anyone looking for a couch? We just can't seem to get rid of ours and we no longer have the space for it. Through the connection, next week we will be getting for free, a sleeper couch. God has really blessed us in so many ways with providing things that we are needing!