Last week I attended a Language Coaching Workshop in Budapest Hungary. Hungary is a neighboring country due East.  I took a 3 hour train ride from Vienna to Budapest.  There are some of you out there who are thinking,“Oh how nice.  A European train ride. Wouldn’t THAT be fun.”  I can here my mom saying that and I am guessing there are plenty of people who would enjoy that.  Unfortunately, I am not one of them.  I find international travel to be nothing less than stressful.

I took the train after Church last week and was to pull in around 7:00pm in Budapest.  I had looked up my connections online and knew where to go exactly from the downtown train station to my hotel.  Everything was going fine.  It even looked like we were pulling in a bit early.  Most everyone in the train got off and so did I.  To my horror I realized that I had gotten off one stop too early! Stranded, alone, just outside of Budapest.  Remember Budapest is in Hungary and it is there they speak Hungarian, not German or English.  It only dawned on me then that I should have picked up a phrase book or something.  But I hadn’t.

There I was on an empty platform, not able to read anything nor understand a single word of the announcements.  I did the only thing I could. I picked up my bags and pretended to know what I was doing and where I was going.  Fortunately, there was one other train station that I had seen as I had mapped out my travels from the train station to my hotel.  I waited patiently for that train to come and hoped that I could take that one. It was 20 min late and I was getting nervous.

There was one other person waiting.  A lady who started talking to me in Hungarian.  I smiled widely and said, “Sprechen Sie Deutch oder English?” She smiled big and said that she was Austrian.  She had been living in Hungary for the past 5 years.  She helped me get on the train, buy public transportation tickets and brought me to the bus I needed that would drop me off at the front door of my Hotel.

Okay, I hear you.  You say, “Eric what a wonderful story.  How that nice lady helped you.  You made it all right what an adventure.”  I say I could do with out the drama and it is eaiser to say than be the one stranded in a foreign country not knowing anything.  Unfortunately, this was not the first time something like this has happened nor will it be the last.

Tags: InternationalTravel

Greater Europe Mission is gearing up for a day of prayer that focuses on Europe.

On October 23rd anyone can visit this website and will be able to select any European country and see pictures with specific prayer requests. If you go there now you can sign up to be reminded on the 23rd via an email to visit the page.

For Austria we have put together 6 different areas that we others to also be praying for.

I have gotten to see a mock up of this and it is not only really neat and cool looking it will help get an idea of what to better pray for.

I encourage you to stop by check it out and pray. And since we know God hears our prayers and is able to do anything according to His pleasing will I am eager to see what we can report back in the next weeks, months and years what we witness God doing here to give Him the glory that is rightfully his.

Tags: Europe

“Here I Am, Lord!”
(11/15/2007)

God uses a student in a surprising way.
By: GEM missionaries Joe and Brenda Ziska
How one man served God – and evangelical Christians in Austria.

Austria: Behind the Music
(11/1/2007  )Listen Now

GEM missionaries give an insiders’ view of the country.
By: Jon Gauger
Austria is a beautiful, yet post-Christian country.

Why Austria Needs Missionaries
(11/1/2007  )Listen Now

Debunking the myth that Austria is “reached.”
By: Jon Gauger
GEM missionaries discuss the challenge of ministering to affluent people.

Adventures of Faith in Austria
(9/27/2007)
Churches and Bible schools develop in central Europe.
By: Prayer Communique staff
Longtime GEM missionaries see God’s faithfulness.

Tags: Austria

Because of the weakening of the Dollar we need $1,200 of monthly pledges in support. We are trusting in the Lord to raise up the remainder of our need before our return to Austria through our ministry partners. Two weeks ago our mission did an exchange rate adjustment and informed us of our financial need.

We rely entirely on the gifts and donations of churches and individuals. Like everyone else, our bills must be paid monthly. Our bills cover the essentials: Ministry, living expenses and health insurance.

We do have a need and ask you to prayerfully consider if you can partner with us by joining our financial team on a regular basis either contact us and we can answer your questions and send you the forms to send to Greater Europe Mission.