Vision Trip to Vienna

We have just begun planning a 2-week visit to Vienna in April and even though it is still a few months away, I'm getting excited about our time there!

We will fly there the day before Palm Sunday and will spend two weeks over the Easter holiday with the WorldVenture team. The focus of our trip will be casting a vision for our long term ministry. First, we'll attend a 4-day retreat with the other missionaries, where we will build relationships with our future teammates and gain a deeper understanding of ministry already taking place. These will end up being longstanding friendships and meeting them for the first time will be exciting!

After the retreat, we’ll spend 10 days in Vienna. We'll get to see and visit a variety of churches that we will serve when we move to Austria and our time there will help us to understand the spiritual needs and challenges in a more in-depth way. We will also spend time taking photos and video to share with supporters back in the states.

Although each of us has visited Vienna before, these 2 weeks will be crucial in helping us to lay a foundation for our longterm ministry. I'm thrilled at the opportunity to experience the city together for the first time and to make new connections that we can continue to cultivate over the next year so that by the time we arrive in Austria, we will have already gained some ground.

To fund the trip, we need to raise $3,000 to cover (2) roundtrip tickets and other expenses. We still have a few months to reach out to family and friends for support and we're praying that God would provide. If you would like to partner with us by making a financial donation, you can click here, and choose “Johnson, Nathan & Bethany” from the drop down menu.

Please pray...

• for the logistics of the trip - that they come together and that we are wise in how we lay out our 2 weeks there
• that we are able to connect with the right people when we are there
• for the financial resources for us to book our tickets in a month and for additional provision to fund the trip

Planning...sort of

One question that we get asked a lot is "what's your timeline?" or "when are you leaving for Austria?" Usually, this opens the door for us to share with friends and family what the process looks like for a missionary getting to the field. This process is a lot more complex than I think I had originally imagined and as we move along this path, we learn more and more. Being the planner that I am, it has been important for me to have a (rough) time line in place...but I am also being challenged to be patient and hold to the plans loosely, knowing everything is ultimately in God's hands.

So, without further ado, here is our approximate time line from now until we (hopefully) get to Austria:

• Now: We are completing required reading for WorldVenture, preparing our communications materials, and informally talking to people about our plans.


• February 3 - 6: We go to WorldVenture headquarters to complete Partner Development Training, where we learn about how to go about raising money for our ministry.


• February 7: We begin sharing our story more formally and raising our financial support and finding prayer partners.


• March 8: Bethany ends full-time employment to focus on raising support and communications with partners (handling administrative stuff)


• July 1: We finish up our time in Wheaton, IL and move to Minnesota. (This involves selling our furniture and putting our other belongings in storage.) We spend a few months in Minnesota meeting with friends and family and raising support at Friendship Church, where Nate grew up.


• October 1: We wrap up our time in Minnesota and road trip out to Connecticut, stopping in Ohio and a few other spots along the way to see friends and family. We spend a few months at the Covenant Church of Easton, where I grew up, and with friends/family in CT.


• Fall: When we reach approx. 60 - 80% of our support, we attend a 6-week cross-cultural living and language acquisition training in North Carolina.
  


• Mid-January 2012: We attend WorldVenture's Renewal Conference, where we connect with WV staff and missionaries and spend a few days worshiping together.


• January 15ish, 2012: We wrap up our time in Connecticut and road trip down the east coast, visiting friends/family in Virginia, DC and Nashville. We end up in Atlanta and spend a few months with my brother and his family (raising support down there, as well).


• March or April, 2012: We see where we are at with financial support. If we are close, we begin preparing to leave. If not, we start the circuit again and meeting with more potential donors.


• Sometime in the Spring of 2012: We are shooting for departure for Austria around this time. We can leave the country as soon as we have our support raised and we complete a week of final pre-field training at WorldVenture.
  

The transition seems daunting at time, but I am at peace knowing that as we approach each step of the process, God will be gracious to prepare us and provide for us. He knows our needs even more than we do and He knows what He wants to teach us as we venture out in faith.

I hope this time line answers some questions! Disclaimer: All the dates and plans are subject to change, if God decides to change them :)

Look Mom...I'm a radio star!

When we were in Colorado at WorldVenture, we were interviewed by Hans Finzel, the organization's president, about our decision to serve God in Austria. It was a really fun experience to participate in a radio show recording in a studio - complete with fancy microphones and headsets (the production geek in me definitely came out...) But beyond that, we enjoyed putting into words our experience being led to missions and the need we see in Austria.

Our interview was edited and posted as an episode of WorldVenture's on-going podcast, Missions on the Frontline.
You can listen to the final version here: Mission on the Frontline - 12/1/2010

Comment on this post to let us know how we did! And please - be nice :)