Greetings from the Other Side of the Pond

We are in Austria ... our new home. We were welcomed by our new team mates at the airport. Our first day was spent by getting officially registered in the country, getting our phone service, getting an Austrian bank account, and seeing our new home for the first time. Wow ... what a whirlwind.

So far, we've flooded our bathroom, twice, in the hotel we are staying at until Monday night. We've gotten pulled over by the police after Chris ran off the road and caused sparks to fly under our tires because we hit the road for the streetcars. We've eaten at an authentic Austrian resturant with our new team. Found out we lost a bag at the airport that we didn't know about until the next day. We've spent all day Saturday at IKEA ... our new favorite place on the planet. We've been shouted at for driving too slow. An old woman thumped our parked car because we parked too close to our apartment building. And, we've met a South African man this morning who speaks English as appears to be a Believer ... his wife gave us their phone number and they want to help us move in!

Right now, we sit in Lance and Carries apartment, waiting to go to lunch at another team mates house. We have felt loved and cared for and welcomed. We have felt strange, foreign, and stupid. Everyone looks the same. Everything looks different. No one speaks our language. We feel paranoid about driving, eating, speaking, walking. HOWEVER ... God is good. He hasn't changed. He's been in Austria for a really long time. He knows how it feels to be in a strange land. He is with us.

Know that each of you is loved. Our goal for the next month is be marry ourselves to this new place, to these new people, to our new team. On purpose, we will try to limit our contact with the US. In order for us to totally be here ... we need to be hear emotionally. Don't, for one minute, think this lack of communication on our part means we've forgotten you. This is a small act of sacrifice we are making to make this adjustment. We deeply love you all ... and tears come to my eyes as I think of you. I wasn't prepared to miss you do deeply. However, through tears, know my love has just dramatically increased for all of you.

Pray for good adjustments for our children.
Pray for good initial contacts with new neighbors.
Pray that we would surrender to the Holy Spirit every day.

Love, love, love ... for you and our Savior ... Christina