Of Ministry and Purpose

Hi.

       This past week, once again, has flown by! I guess where ever you are, where ever in the world, time seems to fly by, and so we need to make the most of it! This brings me back to what I said a couple of weeks ago about having a lot of spare time. Coming here, with the intention of focusing most of my time on school has turned out differently, and God seems to have different plans for me. Of course, it's nothing bad, just an adjustment. This past week, once again I had 3 days off at the end of the week during which I attended for the second time a women's bible study and the after-school program (I mentioned in a previous post), "Lernhilfe". The women's bible study has been a great blessing and a place to learn as well as pray and talk to each other. Did I mention yet that it's all in English- hosted by an American woman who arrived here in early summer...? It is a neat experience to be part of a group of women who are all in different stages of life, ranging from just-graduated from highschool to young mothers to mothers with children who are in university. We are definitely all learning from each other as everyone shares different perspectives and struggles. As for "Lernhilfe", I am now officially on the "list" of helpers and am volunteering every second Monday and am On-Call is case they need an extra person during the rest of the week. Oh yes! As well, I may be getting involved with the worship team at my church on the random Sundays that I am in town! Looking at all of this, and writing this all down, I am seeing how blessed I am that I have people who are willing to be flexible with my non-stable school schedule and are allowing me to be a part of ministries even though I can't commit to something for the same time every week. And it's also great to be working in the community, through the church, meeting other people who are locals and living in Austria.
       A few weeks ago, I was so focused on finding my purpose here, wondering WHY am I here? But lately, God has been quietly speaking, reminding me that sometimes you don't need a clear purpose. Yes, we often want to hear that purpose and sometime God does make it clear, but in this situation, I am confident that I am where God wants me to be right now and that either he will use me in time or IS using me. AND... I would love to audibly hear God's plan for my future here in Austria (and back home too) but I guess it all comes back to trusting God and building faith!
Well, that's about all for now. My classes end on Thursday this week, and on Friday at 6:00am I am headed to Vienna for the weekend- with my "Vienna in the 1900's" class that counts for credit! We will be touring the city and museums and on the way back I'll be stopping to see both my dad's sister's family and my grandma!

Have a good week everyone!
Christi

P.S. Classes are going well.