September Class Party

Thomas showing the boys that even though he's old, he can still beat them at video games.

Also sporting his new hair do (or lack there of)

From Left: Kristen (USA), Paola (Mexico), Mariam (Pakistan), Cate (USA), Keziah (Kenya)

The guys piling on the trampoline.

Becca West, one of the other class sponsors, holding Ian and hanging out with Marcus (USA)

As most of you know we are sponsoring the Sophomore class here at VCS. One of the cool things we get to do is to have activities that promote class unity. We are really excited about this because we are attempting to do something a bit different then how things have been in the past.





Historically, VCS classes have raised money throughout their high school years for a Senior trip. Usually the classes have gone to beaches or into the mountains. We have decided to see if our kids would like to do a service trip. It would still be a relaxing time spent with friends, but would focus on serving others and much as enjoying things ourselves.



We have decided that we as the 10th Grade class will try and set a new standard for class unity and service and all of this starts with the community that we can create among each other.



Last night was the first of many gatherings that we will have. It was exclusively a fellowship time that involved among other things, the kids telling Mr. Gardner that his hamburgers were burning and other kids running as they were chased by Thad the little T-Rex. It was great to spend time with the kids outside of school and see how they interact with one another. The kids ate 23 burgers and 18 pieces of chicken. They like Thomas' cooking.

Staff Retreat Worship

One of the German songs we sang during our retreat!

Staff Retreat

This past weekend was our Staff Retreat at Lindabrunn, a sports facility outside Vienna. We had a wonderful time of fellowship, worship and time in the Word. It was great to be unified as a staff and to be reminded that we are here to work together. As we go through each day, it's hard to remember our purpose for being here, especially when things get tough. But this weekend was designed to affirm each of us in the gifts God has given us, challenge us to look for ways to let our staff know we love and care for them, and to stay unified as a team through Christ's strength. It is so easy to choose to be negative and allow ourselves to bring others down. When we are walking with the Lord though, evil cannot tear us down or use us to bring others down. Please pray for our staff and for Thomas and I as we are spiritually attacked on every side. There is a true spiritual battle within the walls of VCS and it affects everyone involved.

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!

"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thess. 5:16-18

"Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. Brethern, pray for us!"

1 Thess. 5:24-25

Although not pictured, Mollie was able to be on the team that lead the portion of worship time in music.

Challenge for Prayer

"Austria is a cultured nation famed for its music, art and beautiful scenery. Yet Austrians need a personal faith in Christ, and only a small minority have clearly heard how they may find one. Over 75% of the population is Christian in name, but with no meaningful link with any church, yet an estimated 80% have had dealings with the occult. The high suicide, abortion and alcoholism statistics indicate the spiritual need. Pray for this nation to be set free by the power of Jesus."

"The aggressive activities of New Age movements, Eastern cults, Jehovah's Witnesses ( more numerous than evangelicals) and Mormons have gained a considerable following among younger people. Pray both for the nullification of these efforts and for the release of those ensnared."

-from Operation World, section on Austria

HOT lunch and more...

10th grade class


Well, we've been doing so many things since school started we haven't even taken time to update the blog! ooops! So, here's a little wrap of what's been going on.....

Ready, set, GO!

First off, we had a wonderful start to school and seeing all the students was super fun. Some of them were taller and some looked sooo different and of course there were new students entering the 2007-2008 school year.

Thomas had his 27th birthday and we were able to go out to eat with some friends without the kiddos! He is feeling super blessed to spend another birthday here in Vienna doing what he loves to do....teaching and mentoring students.

Our first big event was HOT LUNCH. Each class gets to make the hot lunch for the day in the cafeteria at least once a month. This is a fund raiser for the class. OUR class we sponser is 10th grade. Thomas and I had such fun helping to make black eyed peas, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy in the kitchen. We call it country vittles! :) The students help out and then serve during their lunch time! It's a big job and we definitely have to clean up the industrial kitchen but we get to use the super dishwasher!.... so it's a pretty big job.

Next, Thomas had his first soccer game and the boys won 4-0 against ICSB.... they are the christian school from Budapest. ( i'm sure he'd post more... but you know...)

Mollie has taken over the middle school praise band this year and they lead the singing time during the worship hour on Fridays. This is called CHAPEL :) The students love it and she's had such fun singing and practicing with these middle schoolers to prepare for Fridays.

Also, this past Friday was back to school night and Thomas had the privilege of meeting several of the parents who were able to come. Some of the parents are such an encouragement to us as we are affirmed over and over that we need to be here so they can do the work God has called them to do. We are support missionaries to those who still pastor churches, work with refugees, work undercover in countries that don't allow missionaries, and those that serve in the international government offices. What a blessing to meet these incredible people who have given up so much to allow God to use them as He pleases.

Our home bible study has also started up again! We have been privileged to host a group of about 16 people in our home for an inductive study on the book of Mark. Last night was such a blessing as we discussed the first chapter. WOW! Jesus is incredible and the example He leaves us is so beautiful.....

Well, maybe that catches you up!

hopefully we will have shorter posts that don't take so much time to read!

This is a test :)

I'm trying to figure out this video thing. So this is a video taken before the summer. Of course Thad is bigger and Ian is here now! Enjoy, while I try to make more videos of our kids and the students at school!

Our Boys

We just wanted to share some photos of this summer in the States. The boys are getting bigger everyday and we love watching them grow!

Thomas was able to grill a lot while we were home and he really enjoyed the freedom of grilling in our own backyard! Of course, one of the fun things Thad did this summer was ride the golf cart and here he is sitting with Salil, the VCS student we brought home with us for a portion of the summer.

Ich bin ein Turfuhrer "I am a tour guide"

They asked me to give the new staff a tour of Vienna. So I pretended to be an expert for a few hours (they are all new and so if I said anything that was incorrect it's not like they'd know the difference anyway).





The above picture is the Rathaus. I know that doesn't sound like a place you'd want to hang out but auf deutsch (in German) it's city hall. It is without a doubt my favorite building in Vienna. When I look at it I see beauty...elegance...it literally puts me in awe. I realize that someone designed it and that many people spent time building it. Tour guides have to be very observant.

I'm reading a book right now called The Velvet Elvis by a guy named Rob Bell. You should all read this book. I don't agree with everything in it, but it has been a breath of fresh air in terms of "Christian" books. One of the things he talks about is the kavod of God. Kavod in Hebrew means glory but actually denotes weight or significance. Isaiah says, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty. The Earth is filled with His glory."

We can see the glory of the Lord all around us. David said, "The Earth is the Lord's and everything in it." And later he prayed, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence."

Rob Bell points out in his book that some people think missions is "taking God somewhere." While I somewhat see what people are saying, if we have truly understood the scriptures we realize that God is all around us. Not in some pantheistic way, but to quote Steven Curtis Chapman, the "fingerprints of God" are all around us. And not just for us believers, but unbelievers as well. The Earth is literally FILLED with His glory. Look for it.

Paul understood this. He brought the truth and the Word of God, but he also pointed out everyday things. He was a tour guide. If you read Acts 17, Paul observes that the Athenians had many gods they worshipped and thanked for all of the good things in their lives. Paul tells them that there is one God and He is the source of all of these things. He even goes on to quote one of their poets in sharing the truth with them. Paul meets the Athenians where they are and speaks to them in a way they can relate to. He infuses all of the life experience and practice of their reality with meaning by linking it to God, the most real thing.

I'm learning that I'm not taking God anywhere. He's really big and doesn't need a ride from me. He is already intimately involved in what is going on in the lives of my kids. In Colossians it says that in Christ all things hold together. In a sense, anything we do or experience involves God's active presence.

As Christians maybe we need to stop trying to "take" God and start to "observe" what God is already doing. In Romans it talks about all people having a knowledge of God from what has been made. Let's start relating to people from the good things God has placed in their lives. The things that surround them that they can't deny. Let's speak the truth to them in love and make ourselves available to God for His use in other people's lives.

So this weekend I was a tour guide. I think I'll keep trying to be one the rest of this year.

Gettin' Oriented

One of the parts of being a teacher that I have never enjoyed is Staff Orientation. I know that it is a fact of life that whatever job you have, at some point you have meetings about how to do the job you already know how to do. We all deal with it. I am not special.

I mention this to tell you that at VCS my experience with orientation is completely different. So far we have spent time dealing primarily with figuring out how best to integrate our English as a Second Language kids into our school in a better way. Because of the international student body makeup, teachers at VCS face many unique challenges. As a staff we are committed to helping these new kids integrate into VCS so that we can share God's love with them.

Please pray for our school as we integrate new staff and students into this little corner of the world where Christ is building his Church.

We're Back

You're probably wondering why you are seeing a Taco Bell logo on our blog.

Let me tell you a story.

We've been back in Vienna for over a week now but actually arrived a day later than scheduled because we missed our flight from Washington DC to Vienna thanks to a ground stop. After spending 3 1/2 hours waiting in line I found out that the airline wasn't going to put us in a hotel. This was slightly disheartening. Mollie, having spent the time taking care of two little boys, by this point was bordering on insane.

God took care of us through the aid of a stewardess who had noticed Mollie's plight and had been helping her with the kids. I let her know that the airline wasn't going to help us and she immediately made one of the United Reps give us hotel vouchers. It was awesome. Sometimes God uses the most random people to bless you.

We finally made it to the Dulles Holiday Inn and unloaded everything. All was well. Except for the fact that we hadn't eaten since around 3:00 and it was now 11:30 and of course the hotel restaurant was now closed.

Being the gracious provider that I am, I set out on foot in search of food for my starving family. Burger King and McDonald's were closed but just around the corner shining with a neon brilliance that would've rivaled the Las Vegas strip was a Taco Bell. Two Mexican Pizzas, 3 soft tacos, and 3 regular tacos later all were all stuffed and soon asleep.

Our flight to Vienna went off without a hitch and we arrived early on Sunday morning. It was 65 degrees when we landed for all of you in Mississippi. :-)

IAN THOMAS GARDNER

Here's our family photos of the week!

One More Arrow

The Gardner family is proud to introduce Ian Thomas Gardner. Ian came into the world on Monday, May 21, 2007 at 3:26 PM Vienna time. He was 8lbs. 6oz. and 20.5 inches long.

Thad is very excited about his "baby broder"

"Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." Psalm 127:4-5a

My friend Jeff Barber used to always reference these verses when ever we spoke of family and specifically children. What a blessing this little addition is to our family and we thank the Lord for His goodness to provide us with another son. We trust that the Lord has a wonderful plan for this little man's life and we look forward to playing a part in it.

We will try and post some more pictures later but the internet at the hospital is a bit slow and so it can't handle me uploading too many at one time.

BBQ with the 9th Grade Class

One of the cool things that teachers get to do at VCS is to sponsor a class. For us it was almost a given that we would choose the 9th grade as Thomas teaches them both Bible and Geography. We had our first party as sponsors the other day at the home of one of our students. Thomas was asked by all of the kids if he would cook ribs. Southern Bar-B-Q ribs are the new craze at VCS and so this was the second week in a row that Thomas cooked for students. All of the kids had a great time playing basketball, PlayStation, and jumping on the trampoline.

Davis and Weston. Both are MK's from the US. Davis' father ministers among Iranian ex pats and Weston's dad is the president of RCE, our mission organization.
Thomas showing Marson some grilling secrets. Marson is an MK from the Philippines and his father is the Pastor of a Phillipino church that meets in the VCS building.
Jannica, Paola, and Mariam enjoy their picnic time together. Jannica is from Taiwon and her parents work with Chinese Christians in Vienna. Paola is from Mexico and her father works with OPEC. Marian is from Pakistan and her dad works at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The more time we spend with these kids, the more we see what an impact VCS has on the nations. Everyday we share the love of Christ with kids from every continent and they in return bring that love back to their home nations. What a blessing to be part of this ministry!

Thad's Birthday Party

Our little guy turned 2 last week and so we had some of his friends over for a party Saturday. Several of our fellow teachers came as well as one of the other staff moms. Thad was very excited to see his friend Rebecca and share his toys and cake with her. Mollie made some awesome cake with the help of one of our friends (our oven is kaput) and designed them to look like Thad's favorite things in life....balls. Our son is currently working on being a sports prodigy in both basketball and soccer. Unfortunately, he seems to have natural basketball skills. Matt and Stephanie Richards (VCS Basketball Coaches) gave Thad a little basketball hoop and he can usually make 3-4 out of 10 shots from 6-8 feet away from the goal (no kidding!!!). He even puts backspin and arch on the shot (I am really not kidding...ask Tom and Karen...they saw him make 3 in a row on the webcam).

When Mollie asked Thad what friends he wanted to come to his party he immediately said "Oscar" and "Salil." Oscar and Salil have been babysitting him the past few times we've been able to go out. They are both great kids and have really ministered to us in how they care for our little boy. They came to the party and brought Thad a tricycle for a present. Thad was thrilled. He calls it his motorcycle like the ones that he sees on the streets. We were so thankful to the Lord for how he provided that tricycle for Thad. He loves it so much that the only problem we have is trying to get him off of it.

God is really teaching me a lot about relationship building through my son. Thad has so many people at our school (teachers and students) that just love him. He is so good about being friendly to everyone he's around. He doesn't really care who it is, he just wants to be around people. He connects with them through his smile, hugs, and just general excitement about seeing them. I am learning that when I view people from God's perspective I can't help but love them. It's so good just to see the people that God has put in our life each day and to have an opportunity to impact them with the love of Christ. Its such a contagious thing. If people can be so warmed by a little boy, how much more can true love that comes from the One who made us bring to us real joy and peace.

13 Miles is a Long Way

So I ran half a marathon and let me just say how much respect I have for my friend Daniel Scarbrough and anyone else who has run a whole marathon because as tired as I was when I ran to the finish line of my race, I can't imagine what it would be like for that to be the half way point of the race. It was a great experience although I wish I had trained a bit harder for it. I took me 2:28...which sadly was more time than it took the overall winner to run the whole marathon (yeah I'm slow but I was a goalie in soccer so what'd you expect).
This is my buddy Brian. He was the one who made me go running a few times a week in preparation. He finished ahead of me because he worked a bit harder in training. The whole thing was a pretty cool experience because we ran with over 25,000 other people.
This is me at about kilometer 8 when I was feeling pretty good about life. Fast forward another 8 kilometers and I was not a happy camper. Something happened with my right Achilles tendon and so I pretty much ran 4-5 minutes and then walked 1 minute for the last 4k. Mollie and Thad were waiting for me towards the end but I was too tired and in pain to notice. Afterwards, one of the teachers who lived near the finish line had all of us runners over for pasta. It was a good experience that I will take part in as long as we stay here in Vienna...but I will definitely train harder next time.

Sunday Afternoon Soccer

As some of you know, Thomas has been playing for Vienna Athletes in Action (a Christian soccer team). It has been a neat experience for him as he has been able to make some Austrian friends and work on his German. Most of the games have been on week nights but their most recent match was played on a Sunday morning on the other side of the city. I took us around 2 hours to get there and back but it was a lot of fun because we decided to have a picnic lunch at the soccer complex. Thad was so excited about "Daddy play soccer ball" that he wore his own soccer uniform.

Here is an action shot from the game. Despite leading for most of the game Thomas' team ended up tying the game 1-1. Unfortunately they are currently second to last in the league and unless things get better they will be moving down one division for next season.

Thad sitting with two of Thomas' VCS soccer players.

Thomas called in some of his VCS players to help strengthen the team. The Austrians are always a bit skeptical of foreign players and so the boys had to sit out the first half. The number 12 is Oscar Pacheco from Costa Rica and 13 is Salil Kolamkani from India. Both the boys are in Thomas' Bible class as well as our home Bible study. Once they came on they were a big help for the team and were invited by the coach to keep playing for the team.

HALF MARATHON!

Well, I thought that everyone should know that Thomas has been training to run in the Vienna half marathon since January. He seems ready and I'm so proud of him!!! The goal he set back in January seemed a little daunting because those of you who know Thomas..... well like he puts it, "If I'm going to run, there had better be a goal to kick a ball into." So, I'm proud to say that he has trained and can run a half marathon!! YEA!

The Marathon will take place this Sunday and he'll be running with a few other VCS staff. Take some time to send a message encouraging him and check out the website for this awesome event. http://www.vienna-marathon.com/

Easter! He is Risen Indeed!

Here's a look at our sweet little boy all dressed up for church. He's quite a cutie! We had such a wonderful Sunday morning service complete with testimonials of the HOPE we have in Christ. Aren't we grateful for the death of Jesus Christ to free us from our sins and His resurrection which gives us new life!? In Him, we can have life and truly live for His glory through His power! He is risen Indeed!

Well, there they are.... all Four of them! :)

Thad and his friends just finished their egg hunt!

Now Thad is chowing down on all the chocolate!

Spring Break

We were able to go to an eagle show at a castle outside the city. It was such fun and the birds literally flew right over our heads, even hitting some people with their wings! Thad thought it was great and kept saying "bird" during the show. There were all kinds of birds from eagles to owls to a massive bird with a wingspan of 6 ft. ( I can't remember its name) But we had fun and wanted to share the unique experience with you!

He's huge!

We've had a wonderful and relaxing Spring break during this first week of April. There are so many things to do before the baby comes and we accomplished a whole lot! The Lord gave us some great family time and also some alone time... Matt & Stephanie, fellow missionaries here, gave us the best present this past week by taking Thad for an overnight stay so Thomas and I could get some things done and just spend some much needed time together! It was a refreshing week and we're thankful for the rest God has given us.

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Junior Class hosts TV night

The junior class put on an awesome event last Friday night. Their theme was TV shows and the whole night reflected that theme through games, videos and crafts. They even had a little corner set up for the little ones to watch cartoons...and that's where Thad spent most of his time :)

They served dinner and dessert complete with a "candy corner" turning out caramel apples and root beer floats.
Thomas tried his hand at creating the best designed paint job on a vehicle. His was not so flattering what with the blazing fire ball on the side!
The juniors had a great time making small video clips of different songs and TV shows. They also acted out several of our favorite old time movies and cartoons. Needless to say they had us rolling with laughter!
We also got to see a traditional Indian dance....:)

This class is so much fun and we enjoyed helping them raise money for their Junior class events in the future.

Uncle "Bobby" came to visit

Thomas' younger brother, Robert, was able to come visit during his spring break. It was an enjoyable time and we loved watching Thad just cling to him saying "Bobby play soccer ball".

We were able to go to a castle right outside the city and explore the grounds with Robert. But before we started our adventure, Thad climbed into the driver's seat and told us he was going to drive us there. :)
Shortly after Robert arrived, Thomas was able to take him to Salzburg and Munich for an overnight trip. They went to a Red Bull Salzburg soccer game and had great "brother time" watching the sport they love most.
We miss you already Bob! Thanks for coming and encouraging us here in Vienna.

VCS Musical pictures....finally

It's been over a month since the musical "Guys & Dolls" but we just got some pictures to show you guys. Mollie was extremely busy in the month leading up to the performance but it was well worth it as she was able to get to know several of the kids that she hasn't spent much time with.
This was most of the cast in one of the final scenes. The kids were hilarious and worked really hard to make sure they put on a great performance for all of the parents and teachers.
In the middle of all the hard work and preparation, Mollie was really reminded about how awesome the ministry at VCS is. One night during rehearsal, the drummer for the orchestra, who is a church planter here in Vienna, had to take a phone call that involved church business. While this man was counseling someone, his son was enjoying acting out his part in the musical. It was really cool to think about our role in the lives of this family. VCS provides a stable situation for the kids of missionaries in Austria and in turn allows the parents to be more effective in the field. Thank you all so much for supporting us and making this ministry possible!