boys are back in town...

well as sad as it is we are back in vienna... it is amazing how fast a week can go by... Curran will remember this forerver and i am excited about that... we went into vienna tonight just the two of us... we rode the subway all through the town... we saw a ton of buildings that we had no idea what they were, just that they looked really neat... we saw something that had to be a government building of some kind... it was enormous and stretched out for atleast 4-5 square blocks... we saw a mcdonalds, and it was very fancy... the mcdonalds over here are high class not cheap fast food... funny how that they can change their image over here... we walked into to one and everyone was dressed nicely, imagin mickie d's as a prom night spot!!! we also saw a starbuck's... we stopped by a cafe and pastry shop... we ate a piece of tiramisu a croissant, and we both had a cappuchino... curran put a pound of sugar in his... it was funny... we had a blast, and took pictures and some video... it is a beautiful city, with a lot of history... and we both feel pretty proud about being able to make it around without getting lost...

i am in the airport right now because the internet is free here... i did not get a chanc to write yesteerday... but i got to talk with ovidiu until 2am... i got to hear his dreams and his struggles as a pastor in the villages of romania... he really has such a huge heart and God has planted big dreams in him... its hard having big dreams here, because no one dreams... the leaderrs are still getting over teh communist thinking... no one ever made eye contact with anyone and no one ever said anything critical or even futuristic because they never knew when their words would get to someone who would put them in jail... they were not allowed to think or share ideas... and although they know Christ and love Him with all their heart, there is still a sense of chains holding their minds back from being free to dream with Christ... so when a young pastor like ovidiu has big dreams from God people don't understand and sometimes think he is goig against the tradition of the church... it is something that we still deal with in America, especially in small towns... we really are so much alike, and from what i have heard from friends and missionaries in other countries, the world is so much a like... language seems to be the biggest difference and barrier...

i also had a great time today with immanuel who drove us to the airport... he is the son of one of the biggest and best known preachers in all of Romania... he had a great family but rebelled when he was aroudn 12 or 13... started sneaking out and getting involved in gangs and lots of other things... he knew what he was doing was wrong, but he did not stop... his father continued to love him and let him know every chance he had that he was praying for him... and to get to the end of the story quickly he gave his life to Christ when he was 18 and know he is doing amazing things for the church in Romania... he is 23 i think right now... he is also frustrated with the tradition of the churches in romania... he went to bethel college in Indiana for four years... he received a business degree, and came back to romania to help his father, the precept center, and the churches... he is very talented and smart, he has a very sharp mind... he is also working non-stop... I don't think he every has time off... he has a lot of responsibilities, and i fell like he has a lot of pressure on him...

either way young ministers are beginning to have dreams of reaching all of romania, and thousands of teenagers... first time in forever here... immanual and i dreamed about a conference for youth ministers and for students... to encourage and train youth leaders and student leaders... i think this is a possibility... i know that God wants it, and i want to do whatever i can to see it happen... i am excited about sharing it with people back home... to pray and see what God has in store... ovidiu and i dreamed about reaching all of the youth in Susani and the surrounding villages... no one has ever done this, and there are no youth ministries in any of those villages... we talked about how to make it happen, how to create a team of leaders, how to train them, and how to get students involved in leading as well... his mind is like a sponge and i know that he is going to be faithful with the ideas we talked about... please pray for him and his wife adina... and immanuel... these could be two of the people that God uses to change all of romania... i know God does big things with people who make themselves available...

i am also challenged about our ministry at Southpoint... i am reenergized and encouraged to continue with our student leadership and our leadership training... i know that God wants to do big things in our ministry and we need more leaders who are committed to the word of God... to spending time with HIm daily, and learning how to be like Christ and willing to share their lives with students... i am humbled by the recognition that at i am timid at times and maybe even fearful to be bold about the dreams and direction that God has given... i am also burdened to start serving our community more... it has always been my heart and once i began working with both the JH and SH I let it go because of time... i am full of hope because Melissa Bricker has the heart and vision to lead our community service team... I also have some new dreams about how we can reach out into our community... i cannot write them here, but i want you all to dream and ask God what He is doing and where He is serving, and then join Him in his work... we must go out to our neighborhoods, and not always make them come here...

i have so much to write, but i feel like it is too much for a post... thank you everyone who has prayed for romania, for our safety, for the youth meeting, for this trip, and for my family... please continue praying... we have two more flights tomorrow, and i am ready to be home with Cindy now... i miss them a lot... i am also a very proud father... Curran was so great, and everyone was so impressed with him.. it was a joy to be with him and to see him in this setting... he is going to talk you rhead off about this is you ask him about this experience, and it is coming from a kid who really made a difference... he is excited about emailing his friend raul when he gets home...

oh yeah... we also bought a piece of pizza just to see what it is like here... still American pizza rocks... we also bought about 700 pounds of chocolate to bring home... i wanted to try to let a lot of people try some of it... some of it is romanian, but most of it is german because theirs is so stinking good... curran said he has taken over 800 pictures... i think he is actually right!!! lesley foster you would be proud... i guess as i end this post... please know that God has put eternity in your hearts, and He has big dreams and plans for you too... don't let fear or anything else stop you from living out your God-sized dream...

see you all or at least the ones in MI soon... btw the coffee in austria is STRONG!!! i might not get any sleep tonight...