Blessed time in Hainburg

The best thing about adventure is the unexpected, charting new territory, discovering the unknown. Something I love about faith is the mysteries through which God works. The theme for my GTS in 2003 was “the Mysteries of the Kingdom” and that has stuck with me ever since as something that I long for and something that makes my heart leap. Beginning this journey with my sister, I knew that there were special treasures from the Father’s heart hidden along the way for us to uncover and enjoy. We prayed that the Lord would order our steps and lead us on the journey that He has prepared. Thus, I knew that our time in Hainburg with Father Peter Hocken would be special, but—as is the way with the Lord—it far exceeded my hopes.

I have been blessed by Father Peter since his week of teaching in my GTS 2003. I particularly remember his teaching on “Surprises of the Holy Spirit” and tracing the moves of God throughout Church history. I am thankful that growing up I was never taught against any certain denominations; but rather, I was led to focus on a living faith and relationship with the Lord which I have always firmly believed was available across all expressions of the Body of Christ. I never understood why people would refer to either “Catholics” or “Christians.” That just doesn’t make sense. Now not all Catholics are truly believers just as not all nominal Christians are truly believers. Salvation doesn’t come through church affiliation but through grace and faith and the blood of Jesus. Catholicism has been the vehicle that has carried the Christian faith through centuries of history and throughout the world. Now, I am certainly not denying a simultaneous history of bloodshed and greed of those whose faith was insincere or grossly misguided; however, this is also a history that the majority of the Protestant world must likewise face and recognize. Unfortunately, through a lack of historical education regarding most of our own denominations, we are left unwittingly examining the splinter in our brother’s eye, never dreaming of the log passed on from our fathers. It is not time to ignore, but it is time to recognize and repent, and time to believe that His blood is able to cleanse and restore that which was lost. We have also refused to discover the beauty and special grace of our brothers and sisters in Messiah Yeshua (for indeed, the Jewish Savior is who brings us together as one body, He himself being the head).

This is what has been burning in my heart since my youth—to discover the beauty of the Body of Christ, and to help bring unity so that she can be ready to receive Her Husband as a pure (refined, tested, unadulterated) and spotless (without blemish, shame, hidden darkness) Bride. God is one, yet He is equally three persons. The unity of the Trinity is our ultimate example. Let me be clear, however, that I do not believe in universalism or sacrificing the foundations of your faith for the sake of unity—we must become even more steadfast in the principles of our faith. The Church must be a lighthouse. We must be rooted on the rock, though there are waves in a stormy darkness, our light shines out to guide others safely to firm foundation. I believe that the unique and varied expressions throughout the world are God’s heart. He is Creator. He decided that no two snowflakes should be the same. He decided that seasons should change and landscapes should differ. It is the heart of the Creator to see beauty and creativity released through different cultures. I long for the day when we surround His throne in beautiful array of His glory—from every nation, tribe, and tongue. The Lord gave me a vision of a beautiful tapestry stretched across the globe. I saw that He desires to sew the colorful threads of his Church together to create one beautiful picture. And I believe that this is the vision He has placed inside of me for such a time as this. I desire to help weave this tapestry of love.

So, to bring this blog back to its intended purpose of reporting on my time in Hainburg, I will start by saying that it was a blessing. We so enjoyed the kindness and hospitality of Mike and Beryl Connely who arranged our visit and really blessed us by their servant’s hearts and love for each other. As you saw in my previous blog, we had the great privilege of getting to know Sister Mary Paul (from Texas) and really spend time together. We are so thankful for these new friends. The surprise from the Father’s heart was the extent to which I was able to share my heart with Father Peter, and his response of impartational blessing to me. I have always felt pulled in different directions, knowing that there were so many different things on my heart, but trusting that God is the one, the only one, who can bring them together for His purposes. My time with Fr. Peter was such a time of confirming all these things that are from God’s heart and placed there by Him. I am so amazed when looking back at this whole year. I must say that this has been the most formational year of my life. There are so many markers of clarification and understanding that He has done in me this year, and I can literally feel the difference. I have more solid vision and tangible hope for the future, though I do not see what all of the journey will look like. Then again, that is my favorite thing about adventure.

Vienna

On Thursday Sister Mary Paul took Kendra and I to Vienna for a personal tour. Vienna is such a beautiful city and we had a fabulous day. Here are some pictures of our day. I think our highlights were the beautiful architechture of course, the amazing national library, and the Belvedere palace. The palace is also a huge art museum and we spent all afternoon appreciating the works of Gustav Klimt (including his famous "The Kiss"), Monet, and countless others. I'm sure Kendra could give a much more in depth and sophisticated list. I can't post any pictures from inside the palace because pictures were not allowed, but you can visit the website at http://www.belvedere.at/jart/prj3/belvedere/main.jart?rel=en. We ended our day with some authentic Austrian food in a non-touristy little cafe. Somehow, the authentic food and cafe reminded us of Missouri--strange, I know. Perhaps the best part of the day was simply spending time with Sister Mary Paul, hearing her story and the beautiful things the Lord has placed in her heart. All in all, it was a day to remember. Thank you Lord; You are so kind to your children.

St. Steven's church

The fanciest Burger King I've ever been to

The opera house

The National Library!

Belvedere Palace

Johan Strauss and me

Meeting up with Kendra

Hello dear friends. So this is the first blog post of my trip with Kendra in Europe. Her is how our trip began:

Kendra was in Brussels with the Benjamins, Watkins, and Vandeputs. I was in Cyprus. We met at the Frankfurt airport. She took an earlier trian from Brussels and had to wait a few hours for my plane to arrive. Neither of us had working cell phones so we were grateful that we were able to find each other with no problems. After our joyful reunion, we scoped out the empty and quiet airport terminal for a place to get comfortable for our 6 hour wait. We found a spot close to a phone charging station and were able to plug in my laptop. This was great because we were able to watch a movie. We were afraid to fall asleep and miss our train and it was all marble so I don't know if we could have slept if we wanted to. Finally, around 6am we went to catch our train. It was so wonderful that all of our trains were practically empty, so we had a whole table and four seats to ourselves. We took a 7 hour train to Vienna and then took the underground to a different train station where we caught the train to Hainburg. The train ride was great. It was beautiful and peaceful scenery, and Kendra was able to sleep most of the time (which was good for her because she wasn't feeling too well). I, on the other hand, was not able to sleep, but I did get some crochetting in :)

Upon arrival in Hainburg, were were welcomed by the beautiful view of the Danube river, although we were not greeted by any persons. It was good that we had the address to the house because it turns out that there was  a bit of confusion as the the time of our arrival. So, we had got to start off our trip with a bit of adventure in finding the house. It was quite fun. The town is beautiful and we enjoyed walking through it. It was comical finding the house. I don't think we would have had the courage to walk through the old unmarked wooden gate to find the house had it not been for the man accross the street yelling in German and pointing at it. He was very sure that that was the place we were looking for. Father Peter later told us that the neigbors know that any young person coming to Hainburg with bags is bound to be going to his house (This quiet town is not the typical stop for young backpackers).

We did find the house, and were so happy to be there. Father Peter took us on a tour and showed us all of the rooms and the garden and the back house. He showed us the prayer room and the chapel and the beautiful view from the roof. This is truly an amazing place hidden in the midst of history. He was pointing out arches and such from the 13th or 14th century. We also met Mike and Beryl, a couple from England living there, and Sister Mary Paul from Texas. After dinner, we went on a walk with Sister Mary Paul and Father Peter. They showed us around the town a little bit and then treated us to ice cream. The perfect ending to a long day of travel.

Elevate

A heavy atmosphere of dull repression furiously chases a generation. Snarls of offense and anger snap at a people hurting and lonely. Apathy is injected like numbing poison until youth is melted into dreary existence. No one knows they are being spun into the web of disbelief and shame.
Light breaks forth, a piercing and burning flame. Redemption, love, and holy fire illuminating hearts again. The weary mentality of survival is confronted by the radiance of life. Hopelessness accosted by the sacrifice of love. Depression cannot tame it; Hate cannot destroy it; Envy cannot quench it; Darkness cannot consume it. Day is breaking forth and the sons of light are being revealed.

You sons of light have been pierced with life and set free into grace. New life has morphed your aching frame to living beauty resonating through the corridors of eternity. You have turned your face to the Beautiful One and you have been given His image once again.

You now set your gaze like flint, no turning can be spared. New garments fall over you as you rise higher through the air. The heavy darkness is cast off—and flees as you rejoice. You are more than holy; you are an army demolishing despair. Raiders of the darkness, your flame rushes forth fearless of the night. You bring the higher way.

Where there is loneliness, you reach out your hand in love. Where there is hopelessness and despair, you don’t hold back the word of life. Where there is pain and sickness, you heal in His Holy name. Where there is dark depression, freedom and love you proclaim. No longer consumed with your own despair, you are rising higher. No longer immobilized by fear and introspection, your head is lifted up. And as you rise and elevate, the King of Glory comes. He comes and draws you higher until you are transformed and then releases you with fire to shake the very earth.

You are the burning ones. Keep gazing into Love. The world around you is waiting for the brilliance of your light. And every work of darkness trembles when you rise up and say that greater is He that is in you than he that imitates. There is no god but Jehovah, and He is the King of Glory. Elevate your gaze. Make a way for Him.

Hannah's European Tour

A Little Birdie

Yesterday, a life-long dream of mine was fulfilled. For anyone who has grown up watching Mary Poppins or Disney princess movies, you may identify with this desire. At one point in my day I decided to take a moment to pause and take in the beautiful scenery. Nearby I heard a little chirping and looked to see a cute, tiny bird sitting alone in the grass. I whistled a hello and saw him turn his head towards me in response. Keen to get a closer look, I continued to whistle as I crept—slowly, slowly—closer. To my astonishment, I was able to reach my hand right up to the little one and stroke its chest with my finger. Not wanting to frighten him (or her) I did not immediately try to hold it, but rather got it to stand on a stick that I was able to pick up a little. It was so precious and I really felt we were bonding, but I had heard that if you hold a baby bird it will pick up your scent and its mother will not take it back anymore, so I left him and went back to the office. After a while, I returned to the spot and found the creature still there alone. It hopped and flew a few inches at a time, but definitely seemed either somewhat injured or yet unable to fly. Unable to resist any longer, I resumed the wooing until I was able to pick it up and hold the tiny bird in my hand. He quickly became very comfortable with me and for the next few hours we bonded. I walked all around with him sitting on my fingers or my arm. I whistled different tunes and he chirped back every now and then. I could not believe that I was actually holding a wild bird. I thought—wow—I really am a princess.

The delightful company of my new little friend began to melt into concern over what I should do with the poor creature. I was not able to find any worms, though I admit I did not look hard enough. I tried feeding it some sesame seeds, but was unsuccessful. In the end, as dinner was starting, I put him back underneath the tree where I had found him. I heard the mother and baby chirping back and forth, and I prayed that God would bring them back together despite my interference. I knew, however, that it probably wasn’t a way for him to get back to his nest without being able to fly, so after dinner I went back to look for him. I figured if he was still there and all alone I would take him home and try to figure out a way to care for him. I was not able to find him and so thought maybe, by some chance, he had reunited with his mother. This morning I found out sadly that that was not the case. Going back to the tree in daylight, I found my little friend. At least I could tell that a cat had not taken him. I believe hunger and cold were the final enemies. So, before worship this morning I buried my little friend and said goodbye. (Now I love animals but am not super soppy about them. I would actually like to go hunting one day. But I had bonded with the helpless little creature and felt responsible for it.)

In worship this morning, I came before the Lord with my questions. I was faced with my selfishness and wondered if I had acted out of compassion or cruelty. I realized that there were two possibilities. Either the bird would have learned how to fly and been fine had my scent and interference not caused it to be rejected by its mother, or the bird had already been rejected before I found it and I was able to bring it comfort and acceptance in the last hours of its life. I really don’t know which scenario is true, but I believe I can learn from both possibilities. Jesus tells His followers:

Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:27-31).

Whatever intentions were in my heart and whatever comfort I did or did not bring, God knows and He is the one who was there in the night. If my heart could connect to this little bird out in the wild, and if I could build his trust and bring him comfort, then how much more does God want me to reach out to the helpless and lonely in this world. Had I not noticed the beauty of the little bird and been drawn to look closer, this out of the ordinary occurrence would not have happened. There are people everywhere who just need someone to love them and to show them the love of Jesus—that they are not forgotten; they are not alone.

I also take comfort in the knowledge that the death of my little friend was not in vain, but through it God has gripped me with His heart for the dying and lonely. I really feel that had I made the decision earlier to try to care for the bird, it could have perhaps survived. It needed more than love; it needed nourishment and warmth and protection. Look at those who are around you, the friend of your child, the grocer with the blank stare, the frightened and neglected person on the outer rim of your acquaintance. See them. Turn aside and reach out to them. Be moved with compassion to give them love. But do not stop there. They need the nourishment of the Word of God. They need the warmth of a committed friend. They need the protection of a mother and father in the Lord. Let us respond to the challenge Jesus presented to Peter—let us begin to feed His sheep.

Though the realization of a life-long dream ended in sadness, I still see hope and joy in it all. Perhaps I did the wrong thing, but at least I know that this one little bird had meaning. This one little bird touched my heart. And this one little bird has challenged me to open my eyes and reach out to the lonely and broken. And I believe next time I will see them rise up in healing and learn to soar.

Home Again

Possible spot where Peter preached and 3000 were saved

After a month travelling throughout Israel, we are home again in Cyprus. If you find it strange that I am calling Cyprus my home, please know that I will always feel at home in Texas. Somehow, I feel at home in many places. When I am in the Negev Desert I feel at home and the sense that I could live that life, that I could be a desert rose blossoming in the rugged beauty of the sandy hills and wide open sky. When I am in the villages of Ethiopia, Turkey, or China, I feel at home and long to give my life to mother the children and befriend the people. When I am in Jerusalem, I feel perhaps the greatest sense of home knowing that one day the King of all kings, Messiah Yeshua, will physically return to this place and will reign over all the earth. A sense of home for me is the feeling I get when, deep inside, my spirit connects with the truth that I am where I am supposed to be and living for that which He has called me to live. I am so challenged and encouraged by the apostle Paul’s words, “Not that I have already obtained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” (Philippians 3:12). Yeshua has gripped my life with His love, and I am His. And I know that my life is for His Kingdom. How amazing to know that God has a vision in His heart for my life, and that by His grace and the leading of the Holy Spirit, I can live that vision out! I want my life to be a living sacrifice, and with that I know persecution and challenges will come; nevertheless, I want to count it all joy, knowing that I can fully trust in the Lord and “few delights can equal the presence of one whom we trust utterly” (George MacDonald).

Right before a hail storm interrupted our hike

For the details of the trip, I would like to refer you to our team blog because they did such a great job on it and I think that you would really enjoy it. Here is the link to our first year trip (the one I was on): http://www.gatewaysbeyond.org/gts2010/?page_id=594. If you are interested, you may also read about the 2nd year team’s trip at http://www.gatewaysbeyond.org/gts2010/?page_id=597. I will, however, say a few things. This was truly a special trip. It was my fourth time in Israel and my third time to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem. The students this year are a special group and the team dynamics were so great. There are two significant things to mention that this time meant to me. First, this past month has been a very hands on, practical leadership training experience, not just for me, but also for all of the staff and interns. I feel like I grew so much in leadership in both practical ways and in being a mentor and a spiritual covering for the students. I really love the talks I get to have with the girls—they each have such a hunger for the Lord and questions about their walk and discipleship. I really love them. The second is the revelation of Yeshua’s return. The Lord did something in my heart while in Jerusalem of a greater reality that He is really coming back and that the focus of my life is to live for His return, to give myself to the spread of the Gospel of the Kingdom so that He can come back to a prepared Bride. I also enjoyed making some new friendships of a few remarkable women of God.

Left: using my headlamp to cook after electricity went out (I got a lot of use of my headlamp in this way).
As we returned to Cyprus, we learned that we weren’t going “back” to a place but we were going forward to a place and the new things God wants to do in us. We look back to see how far we’ve come, but now we set our gaze forward as we prepare to run into all that God has. I know there is much in store. There is so much stirring inside of me, so many things I am asking the Lord to speak to me about. Leadership may seem glamorous, but it is not easy; yet, it is more rewarding than I could ever have known. The students are not the only ones being discipled and growing—oh no—most of the staff agree that we feel we are receiving more training and discipleship and character building than when we were students in the school. And I couldn’t be more grateful. So this is my life. I just wrote what I was feeling because that is what I want to share with you. I could give you a play by play of every event, but I would rather share the part of me that those events are shaping.

There are several things you can be praying for in this time. Perhaps you could pray over the whole list and then maybe just one or two points will stick out to you that you can really carry in prayer and intercession as the Lord puts on your heart. Thank you, sincerely from my heart.

• Pray for a successful shift in gear for the final stretch of the school before outreach (for the students, myself, and community)

• Pray for all of the preparations and fund raising for the outreach trips. The first year team (myself included) will be going to Holland, Belgium, and Switzerland. I am so stirred for all that God wants to do in these lands, and have a real sense of expectation. The second year team will be going to France, Italy, Switzerland, and Holland.

• Pray for supernatural protection and covering for our community and all the families.

• Pray for the work here in Cyprus. We have many gatherings and events throughout the year, and God is really moving on the island. In July, Gateways is doing its first summer camp for the youth on the island. We sense an urgency to reach this generation: we want to pull this generation out of hopelessness and depression and into the light and life of Jesus Christ.

I hope each of you is enjoying the coming of spring. If it is a beautiful day, don’t forget to take a moment to enjoy it. Give love to someone who really needs it today, and praise the Lord for something you have never thought to praise Him before. May you be filled with joy and peace.

Your friend and sister,

Hannah Briscoe