thankful.

for seeing and hearing from a ton of my beautiful, huge family today 

for getting to be in Gaming, Austria at the Franciscan Campus for rest days and to celebrate Thanksgiving

for time in prayer to be still, reflect, and be thankful

for the English mass and for beautiful music

for reuniting with a dear friend of mine from college who is studying currently in Gaming--and for the hours of conversations we've had today, for the gift of our friendship, the peace I find in her presence, the aid she gives me in re-finding my passion for my mission in Vienna 

for the Kalpakagian family for having me to Gaming and being so loving and welcoming as if they were my own family

for beauty, for cold weather, for Tony and him taking me to go hiking tomorrow

for everything I've learned in the past year, every challenge, every friendship, every miracle, chance meeting, and gift, every hardship, struggle, temptation, and weakness, every new insight, every discovery, every realization

for all of you, your love, prayers, and support

for God, His Will, Strength, Light and Love

for this, my life, today, and what is to come

well helllooo there, schatzi

What did it take:

a phone call to the Consolate with St. Regine in October 2010

and then a couple more phone calls,

several papers from New York, one from Indiana, a couple from Wisconsin, one from France--all translated both into English and German in sunny California--and then notarized in blizzardy Manitowish Waters, 

a trip to Chicago, a couple hours of waiting, a talk with the Consolate,

a lump of cash,

another visit to the Consolate and the O.K. to go,

3 months in Vienna, sudden news, quick decisions, the unknown, prayers, questions, disappointment, miracles, friendships, blessed connections the the Austrian government,

a flight, a month, another two visits to the consulate, the generosity of my cousin and her roommates, the support of both long-term and new sponsors, the love of my family and friends, the supporting and cradling arms of my aunt, the advice from my aunt, brother, and parents, more prayer,

an emergency visa, a couple emails with the Consul, an 8 hour drive to and from Milwaukee, a package from the Wisconsin and Indiana State Departments, some more lovely translations from sunny California, the help of the office staff in the Ritz, the unfailing love of my parents,

a flight, an experience in New York and the Heart's Home life in Brooklyn, a search for answers, the fruitfulness of prayer, the love of the Heart's Home Family,

one more transatlantic flight,

two visits to the MA-35,

a couple more papers, and Monika's signature at the notary,

more money of course,

another visit to MA-35,

telephone calls, silent waiting,

more prayers, facing once again the unknown, 

daily mass, adoration, rosaries, flying novenas and myriad other prayers,

patience, beyond my normal capacity,

two visits to the magistrat, a telephone call, tears, more hope, 

and one last visit this morning (Nov. 21, 2011) , another handful of money, and a sigh of relief

take a look at that beauty.

i think its a rule of the universe that you cannot like your passport/photo ID picture. its just always awful and not flattering :) 

oh and if you'll notice the date. 

im good till NEXT NOVEMBER 10th, 2012!!!

In the end, how generous are those Viennese! 

Now I just have a lot of thinking and praying to do--how long am I supposed to stay here? 

some new things

1. I need your prayers!!! Tomorrow morning I have a telephone meeting with the Magistrat (Stadt Wien) about my Visa. Hopefully they will be able to tell me whether or not they will be giving me a residence permit (only a y.e.a.r. later) or not. Its all in God's hands and I completely trust him, please just pray that God's will be done and I am able to surrender to it and live it with joy and peace whatever the outcome may be. Otherwise....the countdown continues...12 more days of being legal. 

2. New sponsor letter posted!! (finally right). Well in the process of writing this one, I also have wrote a second one. I am just waiting for a couple more pieces to fill in at the end of November and then I will be getting another one out in record time! 

3. This really struck me: 

Nothing can fill the gap when we are away from those we love, and it would be wrong to try to find anything. We must simply hold out and win through. That sounds very hard at first, but at the same time it is a great consolation, since leaving the gap unfilled preserves the bonds between us. It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap; God does not fill it, but keeps it empty so that our communion with another may be kept alive, even at the cost of pain.

~Dietrich Bonhoeffer, *Letters and Papers from Prison*