Our Story

Photo credit: Valere Schramm

TheWiisanens

Billy, Ada, Mitchell, and Lydia


We are native Floridians from Middleburg, Florida. We were married in 1994 and have two children, Mitchell(21), Kasra(20) and Lydia(19). Billy is a mechanical engineer and has worked in manufacturing for the last 20 years. Ada is a registered dietitian and has worked part-time in clinical nutrition while being home with our children. In 2007, God been arranging circumstances in our lives to move us toward the mission field. In 2011 He has greatly strengthened and clarified this call. After much prayer and seeking the counsel and prayers of our parents, pastor, and trusted friends it became clear that God was calling us to serve at the International Christian School of Vienna (ICSV). We moved to Vienna on August 1, 2012 where Billy now teaches Bible at ICSV and also serves in our church teaching a Bible study and discipling refugees. Ada is the office manager at ICSV and part of the Admin Team. 

ICSV is a K-12th grade international Christian school founded 25 years ago to serve missionary families in Austria. At that time, Vienna served as a staging ground for missionaries who were targeting communist block countries before the Iron Curtain fell. When those countries opened up, many of the missionaries moved from Vienna. With a drop in enrollment, the school decided to open its doors to the international community. Diplomats and international business people from countries all over the world enroll their children at ICSV. These families are made up of a wide range of non-Christian religious backgrounds including Islam, Hindu, and various eastern religions. These parents seek an English-speaking school where their child will be loved and accepted. They sign an agreement stating that they understand their child will be exposed to Christian teaching and the gospel message. Currently 250 students representing more than 38 countries are enrolled at ICSV. About 25% of the students are missionary children with the remainder from the Austrian or international community. The school’s dual purpose is to serve and support missionary students and to share the hope of the gospel with unbelieving students. ICSV provides the opportunity to reach children from a broad base of countries. When these children graduate or go back to their home country, they take Jesus with them! We are very excited about the unique ministry opportunity we will have serving at ICSV.

Our visit to Vienna and ICSV confirmed God’s calling to serve at the school. All the staff at ICSV serve as missionaries and must raise their monthly salary in order to keep tuition affordable for missionary families and attractive for the international community. According to the cost of living in Vienna we are required to raise approximately $5,500 per month along with initial set up costs of $18,000. The mission-sending agency handling the finances is Resourcing Christian Education (RCE) International (rce-international.org). RCE is a 501.3c, so donations through RCE are tax deductible in the United States.

Will you prayerfully consider joining our support team as a prayer partner
and also as a financial partner?

By joining our financial support team, you will be giving much more than money. You will be partnering with us in reaching students and their families from various countries and religious backgrounds who may otherwise never have the opportunity to know a Christian or hear the message of the Gospel. You will be part of encouraging and helping the various ministries of missionary families whose children attend ICSV. Many of these missionaries could not serve in Austria without the presence of ICSV.

Thank you for considering being a part of our support team. Find more information about joining our support team by simply clicking on the"How to Support" link on our home page. Financial commitments can be made monthly, quarterly, or annually in any specified dollar amount. We greatly appreciate your support and covet your prayers as we follow the Lord’s leading!

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