Trust Me.

This month has consisted of getting together with people, helping someone move, babysitting, getting together with more people, working out visa stuff, developing a relationship (more on this later..feel the suspense), and helping out with random events at the church….all of which I love to do. But overall, God was asking “Do you trust Me?”

With sorting through the visa requirements, it often feels like an overwhelming, impossible mess. You deal with conflicting information on government websites, information that you can’t read because it is in a different language, policies you don’t understand, and only a select few that actually understand your questions (cuz locals don’t need to apply for a visa)….And then thankfully, God intervenes. He reminds me why I’m doing what I’m doing (see the “About Me” page) and that if I truly believe that He is God, then what am I worried about? It is a constant battle of me learning to trust Him in everything. Why can I trust Him so easily in areas of like forgiveness of sin and salvation but when it comes to trusting Him in everyday hurdles I fail so easily? I do think trust is life long struggle, but God reminded me this month that He loves, He cares, and I can trust Him that He work out what is best for me (Romans 8:28). Thank you Jesus for having my back! So anyways…this month God provided me with a “criminal record” (one of visa requirements) within minutes at the Embassy that would have taken 14 weeks to process from the FBI, an Austrian health insurance plan (thanks also to a man in the church who figured it all out for me), and a potential place to stay after this summer. God totally took care of my overwhelming, impossible mess. 

Now it is time to relieve the suspense but first, a little background information…

Three years ago when I was last in Austria, I made an awesome friend. Our conversations mostly revolved around what we were learning in the Bible, what we believed, and what was going on in the local church we both attended. His friendship meant a lot.

Throughout the three years I was in the States, we kept in contact with Skype about every 3-6 months, but I really had no intentions of coming back so the friendship remained. Then God clearly opened up doors for me to come back to Austria and God made it clear that I had to be doing it for Him not him (if you haven’t read the “About Me” page..you should read it now). And because the focus has been on Him, I believe it has allowed the other him to come into the picture. So here is the news..I am dating an awesome man who loves Jesus more than anything and who serves and loves people wholeheartedly. I have already learned so much about God from him and I am truly thankful for his friendship. In the end, no matter where all of this goes, my envisionment for Austria has not changed, if anything, it has strengthened. There is still much change ahead, but I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store.

Visa Update: This last Friday (August 5th), I was able to hand in my visa application! Yay! Now, I just have to wait for a couple more weeks for the visa to process and then I can sign up for my German classes at the University. : )

-And the picture was taken in Salzburg! The missionary that I am staying with had a conference there so I was able to tag along and tour the city.