Saying Goodbye...

We have really enjoyed having these lovely ladies here with us this summer!  They have worked hard and loved on our team, family and church well:)  We are sad to say goodbye~ but look forward to seeing what the next season of their lives looks like!

In recent days...

It is always hard to catch up when I fall this far behind with the blog, but here are some of the things we have been up to in recent days...

:: we took our family, team and interns to Schladming for a Sonship retreat

:: Jeff led the lessons, and Ewan got to pal around with Levi

:: Lindsay and the interns

:: on the retreat, we also made time to check out the beauty around us

:: and ride down a mountain on go-carts!  So fun!!!

then we came home, un-packed, did some laundry, had a game night at NCW  (I forgot to bring my handy dandy camera) and Abby and I packed up again to head off to horse camp...

:: She had a good few days with her friends and the horses, but then she was ready to come home :)

so we came home again, did more unpacking and some more laundry, and then last night we had a dessert night that the interns hosted...

here are a few pictures from the "making Apfel Strudel demonstration"

:: the finished Strudel with vanilla sauce! Delish!

and even now, the laundry continues as we prepare for our family vacation to Malta with Memoo on Tuesday :)  It has certainly been a few fun and busy weeks~ but we are ready to have some down time.

Family Night with the Interns...Strandcafe and Ice Cream

Last night was Family Night with Lindsay and our interns... it was crowded in the U-bahn...and hot!

Really HOT.  Just ask Brad about the dude who sprayed sweat on him as he ran his fingers through his sweaty hair.  Gross.
But it was all worth it when we got to see this...

and drink some of this...

and eat some of these...

yum!  Strandcafe has the best ribs in Vienna...hands down

and on the way home we found the largest dandelions I have ever seen...

so we made wishes...

and then went home and made ice cream in ziplock bags

It was a lovely evening :)

Family Night...

Along with the interns regular responsibilities, once a week we get to get together for "Family Night"~ where lots of eating, story telling, laughing and games are played! :)

A lot has been a happenin...

These last few weeks have been really full! We have had our first Bible study, Game night and Worship Service at our new facility.









Last night we had a going away party and Maria showed us how to make Apfel Strudel and Bananen Schnitten...






And tonight, after a great summer with the interns, we said our last goodbyes with yet another delicious meal...

Tomorrow they head back to the States bright and early! Certainly, we have loved serving along side of them and are going to miss them very much!

Intern retreat...

Be sure to check out our view...

Tying up loose ends...

English camp ended well, with many of the kids returning Friday evening for a performance. The parents were so appreciative for the camp and all of the hard work the interns did! Some of the kids brought chocolates, and others brought flowers and wine to show their appreciation. Many asked if we would have the camp again next year, and some of the families said they were interested in learning more about what our church is all about. In a few weeks, we are going to have a family game night to follow up with those who participated in the camp. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun!

On Saturday, we celebrated Kelly's birthday with a Raclette dinner and some brownies...


MeMoo arrived this morning and we have spent the day trying to find places to put all of the goodies she brought with her from America! We certainly think that is a good problem to have. Tomorrow, we are leaving for a retreat with our interns in the western part of Austria...certainly never a dull moment around here. I will catch you up again in a few days :)

Day 3-English Camp

The camp starts at 8:30 and runs until 5pm. The day is sort of broken up into 3 parts. The morning has most of the English instruction, then we break for lunch and then the afternoon is spent playing games and going to the park.

The older group is referred to as the "sharks" and the younger group are the "minnows". Sometimes they do activities together, but most of the time they are separated. Today they discussed body parts and some of the miracles Jesus performed. (healing the blind and the lame) Everyone is doing a great job and we all are having fun...aside from being very hot (yesterday was 92 and remember we don't have air conditioning!!!)

Here is Liesl performing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes...


Here are the sharks working on a song...


Bethany is reviewing body parts...


Here Tristan is getting traced...


Abby is coloring herself in...


We celebrated Matthias' 5th Birthday...


Ewan and Levi...


5 of the interns breaking for lunch...

English Camp-Day 2

Each morning begins with "boarding an airplane" to America, so we can learn English. Brad is the pilot and Jeff, the co-pilot. There is always a funny skit between the two of them, with Jeff always forgetting his co-pilot's jacket...hence the silly outfits. The kids really get a kick out of them! Today the kids focused on learning about animals and the Bible story of Noah and the Ark. There is plenty of laughing, dancing, playing, crafting and learning going on!