Mark 6:31 – Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
Dear Family and Friends,
I have returned from vacation just a few hours ago and I can say without hesitation that this was a heavenly holiday!!! In fact, I dare say that it could not have been more fun, relaxing, spectacular, and adventurous!! Vienna is an extraordinarily beautiful city rich with history and culture. (One of the photos is a church that we toured.) I have grown accustomed to the anti-climatic feeling that comes from visiting a place that has been so published for its beauty….but Vienna did not disappoint me in the least. From carriage rides, to a Strauss symphony, to opera, to hiking down from the Vienna woods (photo attached), to seeing the collected art of Dali to the daily trips to the gelaterias (ice cream shops)….I am simply exhausted (and heavier) from having so much fun!! (Is that possible??)
At present, I am experiencing intense caffeine withdrawal. I am sure this will come as a surprise to those that know my eating habits but I fell in love with coffee in Vienna. Not just any coffee mind you but Melange, a coffee drink indigenous to Vienna (photo attached is proof). As with all that I do, I am such an extremist that I contemplated the notion of having greenhouses for coffee beans in Romania but then decided that my new addiction was making me loopy and have thus given up coffee and plans for coffee bean production. Oh, well, it was great while it lasted.
To say that Michael, Allie and I had a total blast is a vast understatement of our time together. Michael decided that this vacation would be his way of ministering to us and announced that he would be taking us shopping for formal dresses so that he could take us to one of the restaurants for the upper echelon in Vienna (the entire venture was his treat). Not wanting to disappoint him, Allie and I did what any self-respecting female would do….we dashed to the mall with him before he could change his mind (and those of you who know Michael know that he would never change his mind anyway!) The fruit of our labor at the mall is attached (that would be Allie and I in our formal dresses.) The Italian cuisine that we ate was exquisite and unmatched in taste and quality to any I have had. I spent the entire week finding quaint little cafes that served Tiramisu but there was no point after Friday night….the whole experience left me in gastronomical bliss!! Thank you Michael for showing us such a fabulous time!!
Allie was blessed enough to have a Christian mom with a new baby (the neighbor where we stayed) offer her a job as a nanny for the next three months. After much prayer with me, Allie decided that she was being called to stay and spend the next three weeks in Vienna. Therefore, she will not be returning to the US until the last week of September.
I have some fantastic praise items to report that took place while I was strolling down the streets of Vienna. I was contacted by Cindy at Samaritan’s Purse and she told me that they will be covering the cost of Crizantina’s return ticket to Romania!! Can you say PRAISE GOD!!! They are unsure if they will be able to help buy and renovate a house for her family but I may be able to contact someone about that while I am in the US.
The Tonia project continues to bless my soul. (For those of you who don’t know, the project with Crizantina was dedicated in memory of Tonia Anderson, the daughter of my friend in Columbia, Julia. Tonia had a heart for children and it was her desire to be a nurse.) I received an email stating that Crizantina is making wonderful progress in her walking. I can’t wait to witness her walking with only her leg braces! I will join the family that she is now staying with this Friday for ten days before flying with Crizantina to NC.
I would like to ask you to pray for a little boy I met before I left for my holiday. He is approximately 11 years old and he is dying from AIDS. I was not prepared to meet him….I have intentionally not worked with terminally ill children because I consider it to be too difficult. Additionally, I was not informed that he was in the advanced stages. I cried for two hours after seeing he and his mother….it broke my heart to know that this child would die because the medical practice 11 years ago did not require that blood be checked because it was too expensive. I adore his smile, when he sees me coming, he shyly ducks behind his mother to see what is in the bag. Then, after he has accepted my gift with thank you’s, he grins with such joy. I have taken food and clothing twice but I ask that you pray about him being moved to a facility where he can die in peace….and with dignity. The conditions at the hospital are horribly uncomfortable for him and his mother.
I would like to ask you to pray for the successful completion of the foundation. There are quite a few hoops to jump through before I leave and I pray that God gives me the muscles to do it all!
Thanks for all the emails of encouragement and prayers for my safe travel. God was faithful to answer them!!
P.S. – If any of you need me to change the photo format to .bmp files, please let me know.
Basking in the Son,
Michelle
Posted on August 9th, 1999 by Michelle
Filed under: Michelle's Journal