Minnesota Highlights

We flew back to Minnesota in April to celebrate Nate's brother, Neil's wedding. It was such a wonderful time with family and friends, and we were so thankful for the opportunity to be there! Here are some photo highlights from our visit.

We remembered to take a family photo!

The Wedding Party on the Big Day

Nate and his brother, Evan, with Grandma

Cutting the cake. What a beautiful couple!

The Best Man Toast

The Mother-Son Dance

Ellie in her flower girl dress

The three Johnson brothers at the rehearsal dinner

 

Caitlin & Neil

Ellie, rehearsing her flower girl entrance

We visited my (Bethany) family in Chaska and met my cousin's Fiance

Family photo with Grandma

Ellie explored the kitchen!

Selfie with Oma & Opa

Celebrating Nate's birthday at a mexican restaurant

Riding the rides at the Mall of America

The big Lego Store

Selfie with Opa

Crawling around an indoor playground

Ellie's first time meeting Nana

  

Comparing "Home" to "Home"

The longer we live in Austria, the more of an adjustment we go through each time we visit the States. Austrian life, culture and routines have become our new normal and as such, returning to the U.S. has begun to feel "foreign". In some ways, American routines and ways of life are still a part of our DNA, and we do settle in after a period of time. But this takes longer and longer with each visit.

The things that we notice to be different between our former "home" and our current "home" also change. During this most recent visit to the States, there were differences that stood out to me that hadn't been as noticeable before. Here are a few...

• The Egg Yolks - Yes, the eggs are different in Austria (and perhaps Europe in general?) The egg yolks are bright orange. When we first moved to Vienna, we found this to be odd, but now, it is totally normal to us. When I first cracked open an egg in Minnesota, I exclaimed, "The egg yolks are so yellow here! How weird!" I had totally forgotten that this used to be normal to me. It may not seem like much, but it represented to me how much we have adjusted to our new home and how foreign our former country now seems.
• The Toilet Paper - The toilet paper in the U.S. is so soft! Enough said.
• The Restaurant Experience - This is a big one. There are several things about eating in a restaurant in the U.S. that are very different and have been difficult for me to get used to. Specifically...

• The cost of eating out is higher. Drinks are more expensive, food is also pricey, and you are expected to tip 20% (for a good reason...the servers depend on this for income). In Austria, drinks are cheap and tipping is more like rounding up. 
• There aren't coat racks everywhere. In Vienna, I always hang up my coat by the door. In the US, I have spent time looking for a coat rack in several restaurants, finally to realize that it's not very common.
• The bill! In Austria, you must ask to pay and sometimes track down your server to do so. I have come to appreciate this so much! But you can also sit and wait for awhile, before finding your server to ask for something. The benefit is you can take your time eating and are never rushed out the door. When you are ready for the bill, you ask for it. In the US, your server brings your bill as soon as you are finished and also checks on you often. After getting used to the Austrian system, this gives me the impression that they want me out the door as soon as possible, and I find the interruptions a bit of an inconvenience.
• Talking to Strangers - I have mentioned this before in previous blog posts, but it continues to astound me. People are so chatty in the US! I find myself being startled when strangers talk to me in public places. I should remember that they are just being friendly, but I'm no longer used to it.
• The Size of Things - In the US, everything is bigger - the cars, the open space, the stores (can we say "Target"?), the food portions, the houses, the highways...and I'm sure I could list many more. In the US, "bigger is better" is king, whereas in Austria, bigger can be considered wasteful or over-the-top.
• Where "Home" Is - In some ways, the US still feels like home to us. It will always be our native culture and after a period of time, we can slip back in. But now, we proudly and comfortably refer to Austria as "home" when we are talking to friends and family. Hearing someone say to us, "Welcome home", when we visit the US feels odd, because this is no longer our home. Home is now Vienna.

Photo credit: 5demayo from morguefile.com 
Photo credit: DMedina from morguefile.com

Visits from our Parents

Since Ellie's arrival, we've been blessed to have both sets of parents come to Vienna for 2-week visits. For both, it was their first visit to Vienna and their first chance to see our life here, as well as meet Ellie. It was so special, and we are so thankful that they were all able to fly over!

For me, having my parents here was wonderful but also really difficult. Difficult because it was so hard to say goodbye. When we first left for Vienna in the fall of 2012, it was just Nate and I and saying goodbye wasn't too hard. We knew we'd be back for visits and we had Skype to communicate. We were excited about this new adventure. And as adults, we don't change much, so we didn't feel like our families would be missing out on any of our life milestones that needed to be seen in person. But now that Ellie is here, it is so different. She is changing everyday, and it is hard to accept the fact that our families will miss out on seeing that. Saying goodbye to my parents was heart wrenching for me. We know God wants us here, but it's painful for my parents to have a grandchild so far away (for Nate's parents, as well). It's hard not to feel guilty for taking her away from them, in a sense, and it's hard to not be able to call them when things are tough and ask them to come over and help. Living here in Vienna is a blessing, but this is one of the things about it that is most difficult.

Nevertheless, we had a great time together. Here are some photos from my parents' visit (photos of Nate's to come in a later post!):

Eating tortes at Cafe Central. Ellie's in the stroller!

Ellie and Grampy, bonding

Naschmarkt (outdoor market)

Kahlenberg, overlooking Vienna

Dinner at a wine tavern our last night

Out to dinner for Wiener Schnitzel!

Why Do We Do This?

Yesterday (Sunday), I (Nate) traveled an hour and a half across the Throgs Neck Bridge and drove out to Long Island to visit Shelter Rock Church in Manhasset.  We got to know pastor Steve, because he used to be a pastor at our sending church, Parkview Community Church. It was a great time to meet some new friends and see a great church.


During the service, Steve introduced me to the church and mentioned about our ministry. The funniest thing about it was that in the moment, he said we were going to Australia (obviously this isn't the first or last time someone has made that mistake).  He quickly corrected it and we all had a great laugh about the whole thing. But then he asked a very important question: why?


Why do we do this whole thing? Why do we send people across town or across an ocean to plant churches? The answer went back to the mission statement of the church which is "To lead as many people as possible into a joyful and growing relationship with Jesus Christ." And as a church, they love to connect with anyone that is seeking to accomplish that mission, whether it is across town or across the globe. It isn't about just their church, but it is about the kingdom of God.

My morning with these brothers and sisters was very encouraging and I wanted to pass some of that on to you guys. We are very excited about what God is doing as He prepares us to do ministry in Austria, but we have to yield to the fact that this isn't about us. This is about the glory and worship of God. Pastor Steve quoted John Piper in Let the Nations Be Glad when he said that missions happens because worship does not. This is so true and we are very excited to be in the service of such a mighty God.

Photo credit: beglib from morguefile.com