Friday, September 08, 2006
BIRTHDAY
It's Thomas' Birthday today and he's 26! So if you have a second please send an email or make a comment and wish him well! Thanks for all your encouragement and comments on the blog. It's so exciting to have y'all stand behind us as we serve here in Vienna. Hope everyone has a great weekend and thanks for letting Thomas know he's appreciated!
Monday, September 04, 2006
The 1st Week of School
This was definitely a new experience for me in terms of a first week of school. My classes are great so far. The kids are really amazing and are very willing to engage in discussion. Other than the fact that I am super busy with lesson preparation, things are going very well with my teaching. brief summary of teaching so far:
Geography- We have begun an introductory devotional time where we are looking at the source of Geography and all the things that we study in regards to it (Genesis Chapters 1-3)
It is really amazing to teach from a Christian perspective and allow God to take His proper place in an academic setting.
Discernment- Ok some of you may think this is a bit strange but my kids have really responded to it. We are currently viewing portions of the Matrix and using it as our metaphor for the class. For the class we are referring the world system that is currently controlled by Satan and used to distract us as the Matrix. Several of the scenes in the film can be used in an amazing way to illustrate several points from scripture. I hope to put up a post in the future that gives a bit more detail.
We are also reading The Screwtape Letters. This has been a real eye opener for the kids. It is really good, but many times it is difficult for the kids to understand. Pray that the Lord will use me to help the kids better understand this helpful book.
Worldview Survey- This is the one that I have felt a bit over my head with. It is a great class, but was taught by a guy way more intelligent than me (I know what you're thinking 'Thomas, how was there ever a person smarter than you?') His lessons were way complex and so I have had to do a ton of work to simplify things. The Lord has really blessed my teaching in that class and we are currently looking at Christian Theism in detail. Tomorrow I will be sharing the gospel through the description of Man's sinful nature and the need for God to provide a way to restore us to fellowship with Him. Please pray that this class would not be an intellectual pursuit, but would really touch kids hearts.
I will do my best to get some actual pics of my classes up as soon as I can.
We are currently still seeking a church home here, please pray that God will show us where He would have us fellowship in a church setting.
We are beginning a Bible study with some other teachers. Pray that the Lord will use this in our lives to teach us from His Word.
Soccer is going well. The kids are responding great to my coaching. The other coach and I have a real ministry with these guys. Pray that I will have unique opportunities to minister to these guys and that they will see Christ in me, my hope of glory.
Your emails and responses to posts are extremely encouraging to us. Feel free to shoot us an email if you have any questions about specifics.
-Thomas & Mollie
THAD
The little guy got into the chocolate mommy and daddy had sitting on the counter!
He's checking out his favorite tourist spots on the mapMonday, August 28, 2006
Pictures....
Grace Church
Church on Sunday (Translator for German is on the left)
Every service is in German and English and it is hard to follow sometimes
We drove in Austria for the first time!
Here's the inside of the U-bahn that we take any time we want to go downtown.
Sorry its blurry...hard to take a picture when its moving :)
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Thomas & Mollie/Vienna Christian School FAQs
We thought it might be helpful to have a Frequently Asked Questions section just so everyone will be on the same page with what we are doing and why.
Why do you have to raise support if you are going to work in an International School?
Vienna Christian School has a two fold purpose:
1. To reach out to the international community in Vienna and the surrounding areas
2. To support the missionary community in central Europe
These goals are accomplished by the school offering a high quality English language education that is affordable. Austria is a socialist country. Were the school to pay its teachers, the amount of money that it would be taxed would force tuition to become so high that none of the missionaries could afford it. VCS's low tuition also appeals to the portion of the international community that come from countries that are not incredibly wealthy.
To sum up, having teachers work as full time missionaries allows the school to function as an outreach and support ministry and not just a school.
There is such a need here for ministry among kids, why are you going to Austria?
There is a need here amongst our own kids. I saw that as a public school teacher. The difference is that kids here that are seeking to understand life, God, and purpose have Bible teaching churches all around them. If they are really looking, there are places all around them to meet their needs.
It's not like that in Austria. In Vienna there are a few small church plants. Outside of the city you may have one that is the only Bible teaching church in 35 mile radius. These kids are in VCS and they have the same needs and questions that American kids have, but what they don't have an abundance of people seeking to meet those needs.
If you are going into missions, why not do church planting or Bible translation?
Both of those are awesome missions opportunities. God gifts certain people in certain areas. I'm not a pastor and living in a jungle isn't up my ally. I am, however, a very good teacher and I love working with kids.
In church planting, much time is required to get to know people and begin building a community of believers. Because people are in line to put their unbelieving kids in VCS, we have instant relationships with kids through teaching and coaching. In most forms of mission work you have to seek out people, at VCS the kids are there waiting. It all comes down to how you show them that you care about them and how you establish relationships with them.
We have an awesome opportunity to pour our lives into these young people that can go back to their passport countries and have a tremendous impact on them for the glory of God. That is the goal of our ministry!
Why do you have to raise support if you are going to work in an International School?
Vienna Christian School has a two fold purpose:
1. To reach out to the international community in Vienna and the surrounding areas
2. To support the missionary community in central Europe
These goals are accomplished by the school offering a high quality English language education that is affordable. Austria is a socialist country. Were the school to pay its teachers, the amount of money that it would be taxed would force tuition to become so high that none of the missionaries could afford it. VCS's low tuition also appeals to the portion of the international community that come from countries that are not incredibly wealthy.
To sum up, having teachers work as full time missionaries allows the school to function as an outreach and support ministry and not just a school.
There is such a need here for ministry among kids, why are you going to Austria?
There is a need here amongst our own kids. I saw that as a public school teacher. The difference is that kids here that are seeking to understand life, God, and purpose have Bible teaching churches all around them. If they are really looking, there are places all around them to meet their needs.
It's not like that in Austria. In Vienna there are a few small church plants. Outside of the city you may have one that is the only Bible teaching church in 35 mile radius. These kids are in VCS and they have the same needs and questions that American kids have, but what they don't have an abundance of people seeking to meet those needs.
If you are going into missions, why not do church planting or Bible translation?
Both of those are awesome missions opportunities. God gifts certain people in certain areas. I'm not a pastor and living in a jungle isn't up my ally. I am, however, a very good teacher and I love working with kids.
In church planting, much time is required to get to know people and begin building a community of believers. Because people are in line to put their unbelieving kids in VCS, we have instant relationships with kids through teaching and coaching. In most forms of mission work you have to seek out people, at VCS the kids are there waiting. It all comes down to how you show them that you care about them and how you establish relationships with them.
We have an awesome opportunity to pour our lives into these young people that can go back to their passport countries and have a tremendous impact on them for the glory of God. That is the goal of our ministry!
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Vienna Christian School (VCS)
VIENNA CHRISTIAN SCHOOLVienna Christian School was established in 1986 to serve the educational needs of children of full time missionaries to the former Soviet Union. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, the school opened its doors to the public. Currently around 30% of the students are the children of missionaries in Austria. Most of the other students are the children of international businessmen and foreign diplomats.
The school functions to provide a high quality English language education that is focused on developing an informed Christian Worldview amongst the student body.
Mollie and I are very excited about being able to teach our subjects from an open Christian perspective. Proverbs says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all knowledge. I feel that our problems in academia stem from our divorcing God from the system. What good does it do to educate a darkened mind? I am truly thrilled and humbled at the chance to share Christ openly in my classroom.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
AUSTRIAThats right, Austria. Mollie and I are planning on moving to Austria in August to work at a Christian school in the capital city of Vienna.
Here's a map of Austria for those of you who make lack an acute sense of Geography. If you have any more questions about the nation you can click one of the following links to find out more.
Here's a map of Austria for those of you who make lack an acute sense of Geography. If you have any more questions about the nation you can click one of the following links to find out more.
More facts about Austria
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