The Next Big Step

A Vision Trip to Austria

In our previous update we shared a little bit about our upcoming vision trip to Austria. Well that trip is now right around the corner… 2 sleeps away to be exact (if COVID-tests come back as expected and nothing changes with regards to travel restrictions).

A vision trip is a short trip to a potential ministry partner and place to get an better understanding of whether the purpose, passion and skills of the Missionaries will match well with the ministry partner they will work with and the people they will serve.

So why do we feel like we should be doing a vision trip to Austria?

• We believe it is a very important part of stewarding well the passion, purpose and partnerships that God has given us. We are incredibly grateful for all those that have been on this journey with us. Those who have helped us listen to God’s leading well and figure out what work he is calling us to. Those who have been partnering with us through prayer, encouragement and financial support. And so before we take the huge step of moving to another country, learning a new culture and language and committing potentially the rest of our lives to a particular place and people, we want to be sure that we have experienced as much as possible of what we feel God is leading us into.
• We have an anticipation that the next field God leads us to could be a place we stay in for 10 or even 15 years. Over the past 3 years since stepping full time into Missions we have learnt to rest in the tension that the next place could be the last place God leads us to or just another step towards many other places of service. While we have had many, many encouraging conversations and reassurances that Austria is the right direction, we believe that spending time with the people we will serve and those we will serve with and experiencing a little bit of life in the place we expect to live will help us hear God’s voice even more clearly.
• It is something that OM in Austria feels is very important. And because we believe that the next field we serve in will probably be a longer term field, we want to make sure that we honour the field that has invited us and start our relationship with the new field and those that we will serve alongside on the best possible foundation.

Our trip is from 4 to 20 Feb and there are a number of different things already scheduled for our time there. We will be visiting different ministries of OM in Austria, meeting to discuss possible roles and responsibilities, spending time in the homes of OMers serving in Austria and being taken out to experience some of the city where we will be based if we decide to go.

Our expectation once we return from this trip is that we will have a clear sense of whether to begin the visa, and partner-raising processes to move to and serve in Austria, or whether we need to go back to the drawing board, reassess what God has been saying to us and seek His leading again for where we will serve next.

Prayer: That through all the activities and conversations that are planned we will listen first and foremost to the Holy Spirit’s voice and that we would come away from this trip with clarity and peace that passes understanding about what’s next.

Prayer: That COVID tests and travel will go as expected, and that the girls will have a fantastic time staying in Pretoria with Ouma and Oupa.

Praise: That God has provided all the finances we need in order for this trip to happen (we even have Euro’s left over from our last break on the ship that was cancelled due to a lockdown on board). That our visa’s have come through and that travel restrictions have been easing and even stabilising a bit.

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Mini update about accommodation

We are very excited to share that we have accommodation confirmed in Durban from mid March until the beginning of August. We will be house-sitting for fellow OM Missionaries who will be going on furlough and we are so grateful that our answer to prayer is also an answer to others prayers. Thank you to all of those who have been praying with us.

We are still needing vehicle for our time in Durban. If you are able to help for any, part of, or all of the following dates 1 March – 30 April and 1 June – 31 July 2022, please email cindy@homeground.org.za

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