Thanks for praying, you all! I arrived safely home on Saturday, July 25th, and so good to be back with Sabrina, Cortni, Chris and Amanda. Cortni heads off to Multnomah Bible College at the end of August, so I was happy to be back to spend as much family time as possible with her and everyone else. Sabrina and I are not accustomed to being apart for so long and it was such a blessing to have her encouragement and support when I first mentioned how much I wanted to go on this trip. As we biked through the beautiful Austrian countryside, there were many times when I turned to my old friend David Knauss and said: "You know, we really need to do this again with our wives." It was an absolutely great trip on various levels.
First, reuniting with old friends from my ministry days in Central Asia--Dave Knauss and Steve Ramey--was something I was so looking forward to. Both of these men have poured so much into my life. And even though we have seen relatively little of each other in the past several years, their impact has been extensive. In addition to this, it was a joy to meet Dave Charleston and Steve Andrews. Both of them, I discovered, had prayed for all of us as we served in Central Asia. Getting to know Bill Ramey was an absolute delight as well. He has a terrific sense of humor and challenged all of us with his well prepared and deep teaching in the epistle to the Hebrews. Father and son Austrians Fritz and Felix were on the trip as well. The trip simply wouldn't have been the same without their kindness, humor, generosity, perspective, knowledge of the culture and history, sincere brotherly love, and, in Fritz's case, his guitar (which I was able to borrow from time to time). My only regret about our ninth Kingdom Rider--Bill McElheney--is that he had to leave us at Grein due to a previous commitment with the Salzburg Festival. He used to play trombone for the Vienna Philharmonic and now works on the staff there.
After a few days in Vienna, we traveled up by train to Passau, Germany, to get our bikes from the rental shop. We then proceeded down either the north or south bank of the Danube River, along the impressively maintained bike paths. Austria knows how to cater to their bicyclists, let me tell you! Each morning, we would usually begin our day with a healthy breakfast, then proceed to a study in Hebrews. As we'd continue along the way on our bikes, we had additional opportunity to discuss the day's topic or learn more about one another. Although we had our disagreements here and there, brotherly unity was maintained to the end. This was a point of prayer requested earlier, and the Lord was really present in this regard.
I thought Steve Ramey summed up the teaching well in one of his recent posts:
" The highlight of the trip was the depth of our study with the clear lesson concerning the present work of our Lord as High Priest in the heavenly tabernacle. The book is clear in stating that there is one and only one High Priest and He is the only one worthy of our worship and the only one where we can find forgiveness of our sins and help and mercy in time of need. There is a great future inheritance for those who draw upon the sufficiency of Christ and who persevere in this life by faith in Him. The book also contains warnings to the redeemed who decide to find and seek a salvation by any other means than Christ. Hebrews makes it clear that while we rest firmly in the redemptive work of Christ, our salvation will be fully realized upon His return and in His Kingdom. Therefore, we walk in gratefulness and security that we have been "redeemed" out of Egypt, yet now set our eyes on the inheritance to be gained at Christ's return. We are on a journey to that inheritance and therefore we are not passive in our faith, but we actively participate in Christ's Word and seek daily obedience. A lesson for me comes from the children of Israel who, while being redeemed out of slavery and therefore are and remain God's people, still fell short of receiving the promised land due to unbelief. When we fall short, He is there as our High Priest to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. No wonder Paul says in Titus 2 that we are to look to the blessed Hope of Christ's return when the faithful will fully realize the so great of salvation that Hebrews talks about. I could go on, but what an encouragement the time has been to stay faithful, but to remember also it is the wonderful grace of our Lord that has provided all the means to be faithful!"
Our visit to Mauthausen Concentration Camp was interesting in that the skies darkened toward the end of our visit and the lightning and thunder came suddenly upon us, accompanied by an absolute downpour of drenching rain. I had just been walking up from the rock quarry with Felix, where the prisoners were forced to haul enormous stones up a steep rock-hewn stairway. Felix had just been sharing with me how the Nazi guards would, as they termed it, "parachute" prisoners off the 100 foot-plus cliff to their deaths, then this dramatic storm suddenly hit. It was surreal, to say the least. As I walked along the walls and barracks of the camp, gazing at the barbed wire, gas chamber, ovens, dissection room, and all the other horrors, I couldn't help but think "Man, this STILL goes on in my lifetime (Rwanda, Bosnia, Sudan, abortion clinics in America, etc.)" The depravity of man is never far from each one of us.
In terms of beauty, my favorite places to ride were in Grein and through the Wachau Valley. Grein was yet another charming Austrian town and our hotel was situated in a mountainous region, reminiscent of the Oregon Cascades. The Wachau was charming village after charming village, interspersed with vineyards and apricot orchards. I will never forget the incredible fruity aroma as I rode through this region...absolutely stunning!
Upon our arrival back in Vienna, we took a few final days to check out the museums, take in a couple of outdoor music concerts, and join some Austrian and American brothers and sisters on the Stephanplatz , a big tourist boulevard/shopping street in the central region of Vienna near St. Stephan's Cathedral (Stephansdom). Each Friday night, the assembly of believers that Steve and Marie Ramey have long been associated with do street evangelism on the street. After I sang a couple of praise songs, Steve Ramey started out by sharing the gospel using a version of the "Bridge" illustration. After a break for some post-discussion with listeners, I sang a couple more songs, a new crowd gathered, and Bill Ramey preached on our Great High Priest Jesus from Hebrews. Later, a couple of the Austrian brothers shared the gospel in German, while Steve translated in English. When Steve and Bill preached, Felix would translate into German. I was encouraged, inspired, and challenged as I reflected on my Austrian brothers faithfully and courageously coming down to this busy thoroughfare in one of the world's most famous cosmopolitan cities, tirelessly preaching the simple message of the gospel every Friday evening. It was an experience I'll never forget. I was amazed at how many Muslims would stop and politely listen, at children who would happily take an offered gospel track, and onlookers like one Chinese woman who would linger behind for more follow-up discussion.
What a privilege to have had this opportunity! Many thanks to Steve and Bill Ramey for their preparation and servant-hearted leadership and teaching. I was very thankful for Steve Ramey's and Steve Andrew's generosity as they always allowed us to use their array of technological devices to contact home or load up pictures on Facebook, yet they were the "mules" hauling it wherever they went. What a great group of guys! God has blessed me with experiences in life that have allowed me to cross paths with some incredible folks. Thanks for praying, brothers and sisters!
Here's a little video clip of one of the Austrian brothers--Horst Stelzer--sharing the gospel on the Stephanplatz, with Steve Ramey translating in English
http://www.facebook.com/Timurzhan#/video/video.php?v=125386187585&ref=share
