Calvary Chapel Vienna and our Missions Trip to Serbia
Greetings from Austria! Recently a group of us got to serve in Cantovir, Serbia for four days. It was a short but meaningful trip. The pastor there, Tibor, invests a lot of time in ministering to the poor in his community, so we too had chances to visit them and help them. We also got to lead the youth group on Friday night, and I got to be the guest speaker at his church on Sunday. We would have been a group of nine people there, but unfortunately the driver of the second vehicle forgot that his passport had expired, and the Serbian border guards would not accept it. It is a long story, but it was 2 a.m. and we didn’t figure out a viable solution, so they had to turn around and drive back to Vienna. A hard lesson to learn from, but hopefully those who missed out can join us the next time around. It was great to see Tibor and his family again, along with several of the same people as last year. A few of the teenage boys plan on finding a few days of work so that they can pay for a one-week Bible camp in the summer, which was wonderful to hear. At our church in Vienna, I just finished teaching through Philippians on Sunday, and on Wednesday nights we are going through Mark. We have had many meaningful discussions about both books, and the fellowship among the people at church has been encouraging and uplifting.
Reaching Out with the Gospel
Two or three days a week, I take care of Christopher while Michi is at work, and on the other days of the week my main focus is studying for my Sunday sermon and the Wednesday night discussion. But there are still a few types of outreaches that I get to be involved in: Farid’s Arabic Fellowship, The Oasis, and the painting-and-preaching outreach on the street. Each have their unique dynamic and special opportunities. Last time I was at The Oasis, the handful of Arabic speakers there got to hear the Gospel thru me and a translator over Zoom, who was in the middle east! And at Farid’s Arabic fellowship, I got to share with some who are believers since a long time, and others hearing it for the first time. And before I arrived, they already had a Q&A time and heard a lot – then I preached, and my translator basically added his own sermon as he translated, so it was like the group got a triple sermon that day! And at the painting-and-preaching outreach on the streets of downtown Vienna, a 25-year-old German named Lukas stayed to talk with us for about forty minutes after the short message. He is basically a modern-day “hippie,” all about love and balance in life, but he also likes to talk and listen and discuss. Pray that the Lord works in his heart. And THIS weekend, a 15-person group is coming to Vienna from my home church in NJ. Please pray for the Lord’s blessing on the four-day visit, that it would be an enriching time and that many would stop to listen to the Gospel. Then, next Tuesday, we fly to NJ for a one-month visit. May the Lord protect us and use us there to encourage!
Prayer Requests
- Please say a prayer for Kate & Christof, a couple who met at our church and will be married on July 6th. We will even get to attend their wedding in Missouri!
- Pray for our trip to visit family and churches in New Jersey in July.
- Pray for Farid, the leader of the Arabic fellowship, who is “on the waiting list” to receive a liver transplant.
- Pakistan sent the Christian family that we financially support back to Afghanistan. Pray for Abdul, his wife, and two children to be kept safe.
Should you be interested in supporting our ministry financially, visit www.give.onecollective.org. Type “Ken Meyer” in the subject field and the donation will be passed on to me here in Austria. Many thanks!
Blessings to you all!
Ken & Michi Meyer