Stand United. One Mission. One Message

August 23rd was the first day of school at ICSV for the 2017-2018 school year.  We welcomed many new faces this year including several new staff members.  We are excited about our theme this year:  Stand United. One Mission. One Message.   We hope the excerpt below from our weekly newsletter will give you peek into our first week of school!

A New Theme for 2017-2018! Welcome back! It is my sincere pleasure to welcome you to the 2017-2018 school year at ICSV. We had a great turnout at the New Family Orientation on Tuesday. At least 150 parents and students were here, and that doesn’t include all of our staff and faculty who were available to greet everyone. Our secondary student ambassadors did a wonderful job of making the new students feel welcomed at our school. This year our theme is Stand United. One Mission. One Message. The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Philippi: “Stand united, singular in vision [with] one Message, the good news.” As we continue to grow in size, it becomes more important that we make it a priority to maintain our unity as a community with a shared mission and message. What is our mission? As a school, we promise to do our best to provide “high quality, individualized education, equipping students with Christian character to impact the nations of the world.” We also emphasize respect and esteem for others and want every student to be “valued and empowered with truth and knowledge for life.” Our message is Christ. No more. No less. All those who believe in Him have their sins forgiven and have a restored relationship with God. Before Christ came and gave His life for us, this good news was not available to everyone. The Apostle Paul explains it this way: “The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board.” No matter what your cultural or religious background, YOU ARE WELCOME HERE! We will love and respect you because you are a wonderful creation of our Heavenly Father. Your students will be valued and appreciated. That is our Mission and Message in a nutshell. During our opening assemblies on Wednesday, I challenged the students to go out of their way to make the new students feel welcomed. I encouraged them to truly value and love their teachers and classmates, with a love that puts others first. And I asked them to keep unity at the forefront of what they do here, whether in the classroom, on the stage, or on the athletic field.  This year, we choose to stand united. God takes great pleasure when He sees His children supporting each other in community. My prayer for this school year is that we will remain focused on our school’s mission and that we would demonstrate God’s love to each other as we walk out our message of love and acceptance. We are truly excited that you are here! Because of His Faithfulness, Sharon Brobst, Ed.D. Director

It’s not too late to contribute to the Cool the School fundraiser. Just this month, over €2600 have come in toward our goal, and we are waiting for two additional gifts to come in from churches. Our total is now at €18.935. This still leaves us with a deficit of €21.065. I am confident that our school families and friends can come together to raise this needed amount. If you have been planning to contribute, but have just not done so, now is the time! Every gift, no matter how large or small, is helpful! To make a donation by bank transfer:  Account Holder: Hilfsverein der Internationalen Christlichen Schulen Bank Name: Bankhaus Krentschker  IBAN: AT41 1952 0018 0009 3849  BIC/Swift: KRECAT2GXXX Send your check to:  RCE International PO Box 4528 Wheaton, IL 60189  Please indicate ICSV “Cool the School” Project–02157 Credit Card payment: You can also click here to make a contribution to RCE International for the project using your credit card. Gifts to the school that are sent through RCE are tax deductible. We currently have air-conditioning working on the third floor, in a couple of other classrooms, and in the secondary office. We are waiting for another part to arrive in order to hook up the majority of the classrooms. This delay has increased the cost of the entire project, so your gift today is very much needed. Please continue to pray that the air-conditioning will be installed very soon so that the staff and students can benefit from the cooler air in the near future. Thanks to all of you who have contributed to this essential improvement to our school facility! Your investment into the lives of our students is so very much appreciated.

Meet the New Staff!

We will be introducing several of our new staff each week in the Eagle. This week, meet David Vundi, Joel and Lee Ann Alba, and Lydia Phoenix.

David Vundi is our new secondary math teacher. He has 20 years of experience in teaching mathematics, physics and Bible, including two years at the university level. He is a dedicated person with a family of four and enjoys reading. The knowledge and perspective that his reading gives has strengthened his teaching skills and presentation abilities. He has also completed a Masters of Philosophy in Math and loves being with children and helping them learn the value of life, the most precious asset one has. His family will be joining here in Vienna shortly. Text Link

Mabuhay! Joel Alba hails from the Philippines, the Pearl of the Orient. He teaches secondary social studies. Joel likes climbing mountains, swimming in beaches and doing any outdoor adventure. He has a degree in Theology and Education and has taught in several different international schools. His wife, Lee Ann, also joins us as an aide in the elementary school. The opportunity for them to serve at ICSV is indeed a testament that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. An awesome school-year awaits us all! Soli Deo Gloria!

Some of you may remember Lydia Phoenix as she was the student teacher in Ms. Sipos' third grade class last fall. She loved being a part of our school's community, and she is thrilled to be returning as the second grade teacher this year! Since leaving Vienna, she graduated from Wheaton College and moved to Florida, where she worked at a private, Christian school. She is originally from New Hampshire and will always consider that home. When she is not teaching, she enjoys doing almost any outdoor activity, especially those involving mountains, as she is an avid hiker and backpacker. She has always dreamed of doing a backpacking trek through the Alps, so now that she is back in Austria, she hopes to make that dream a reality. Text Link

Faces Seen on the First Day of School!

Returning to Vienna

Lydia and I are now back in Vienna, Ada returned a week ago, and I have a few observations:

1. First, air conditioning is nice.  That statement speaks for itself but we don't have air conditioning in our apartment in Vienna. Bummer.  It is not needed here for nine  out of 12 months but it was in the 90's in our apartment yesterday.  There is no good way to look at sitting in your apartment and sweating.  Just saying.
2. Good byes don't get any easier.  As I will mention below I don't really enjoy international air travel.  To be fair, this probably has a lot to do with it.  Leaving Vienna to go to the states is difficult because we are leaving our Vienna family whom we love.  Leaving to come back seems to get harder every year.  Without question the most difficult part of our jobs here is being away from family, especially during the holidays. I don't expect that to ever get easier.
3. International air travel seems to get less and less enjoyable.  We go to a lot of trouble to get the lowest cost airfare when we travel.  This usually means extra connections and time spent in airports.  Security in airports has increased considerably. Don't get me wrong, security is good. I like planes, especially the one I'm on, to stay in the air while it should be there.  Further, not to state the obvious, it is good not to have terrorist attacks at airports.  That said, it has become almost painful to move around international airports.  That, coupled with airlines fighting to make ends meet, makes for crowded airports and planes with long lines and grumpy people.
4. Sometimes people shine through traveling challenges.  Lydia and I had a delay getting to Atlanta from Jacksonville.  The people with Delta in Jax did all they could do to help us make our connecting flight in Atlanta and with a good run through the airport in Atlanta we made our flight with about a minute to spare.  Yes we were praying.
5. The airport in Paris, Charles de Gaulle, is often mentioned as one of the worst airports in the world.  Our experiences have been mixed and it definitely has its problems.  Still, as a continuation of people shining, two Air France employees went out of their way to help resolve a ticketing problem with our flight to Vienna.  This was well appreciated as we were tired and needed help or Lydia and I wouldn't be making it to Vienna that night.  We made it due to their assistance and slept in our beds that night.  Yes, as before, we were praying.  
6. After living out of a suitcase for 5 weeks it is nice to sleep in your own bed.

It is good to be back.  Each year I wonder what God will do here and each year I am amazed by what He did do in the previous year.  God is good and I believe, with anticipation, that He will continue to do Great things in Vienna.  May God smile on each of you in the coming year and bless you and yours.

Bill

http://pilgrimsprocess.blog/david/meet-david-bunce/
David is one of the pastors at our church. He does a very good job describing the church we attend and discussing his heart for ministry.
David is a Baptist pastor and missionary in Vienna, Austria. Originally from the UK, he now works with Projekt:Gemeinde (Project:Church) as well as being involved in the year-out bible and mission school Project:Vienna and the Austrian Baptist Union’s home mission.

#PrayForParis

You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. -Matthew 5:43-45

What a difference a night makes. Friday night after a busy week Billy and I went for a walk around Vienna. It's one of the things we like best about living so close to the city center. We walked to dinner and then on into downtown. The weather was cool, but not too cold. I snapped pictures along the way of some of the sights we saw as we strolled through the city. We enjoyed seeing the canal, window displays, cathedrals, and Christmas Markets. It wasn't until later after we returned home that we heard something was happening in Paris. We began seeing initial news reports about attacks there, but it wasn't until we awoke early Saturday morning to notifications on our phones that we found out how bad the attacks were in Paris! This was within a day of very serious suicide bombings in Beirut Lebanon where many were killed and injured.  

Thankfully we heard that Billy's cousin and his wife who live in Paris were safe!  

Sometimes it is hard to know how to respond, but as Christians we are to respond in a uniquely Christian way, we are to pray, pray for Paris, France, Muslims, Families, Government Leaders, Refugees, the World, our Enemies.

We Are All Parisians Now: A Christian Response to Global Terror and Radical Islam

Heading toward the city center.

Window display at a 5 star hotel.

Donau (Danube) Canal

Stephansdom Christmas Market

Demel cafe window display - Apple Strudel

Rathaus Christmas Market - Pre-tree lighting

Rathaus Christmas Market

Back in our neighborhood.

Enjoying Fall

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!  The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.  God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!

Psalms 67:5-7

We are enjoying the fall weather in Vienna!  This week it has been sunny with temps in the 60's!!  Fall means soccer, volleyball, pumpkin soup and beautiful colors on the trees!

Happy Fall Y'all!!

Refreshing

The past few weeks have been exhausting with our return to Vienna and the start of a new school year.  We are finally settling into a routine and the pace is slowing a bit.  Fall is in the air today as we awoke to temperatures in the 40's.  Throughout the past few weeks God has graciously provided others to encourage us and breaks for rest and refreshing.  During the first week of staff orientation we were treated to a wonderful luncheon prepared by several of our student's parents.  

Billy and I have been walking home from church on Sunday afternoons.  It provides the perfect opportunity to get a little exercise and then enjoy some ice cream!  The weather has been lovely and the flowers beautiful.  One Sunday we enjoyed a free "open house" at the Rathaus (city hall).  The interior was beautiful and it was such a treat to see inside the building we pass each Sunday on our way to church.  We only stayed a short time as it was very crowded.  Once outside and in front of the building, it was funny to see a circus tent and palm trees.  Of course as the weather cools, the palm trees will be stored away for the winter.

Mitchell and Lydia are staying busy with school and enjoying time with friends.  Lydia is playing volleyball this fall and also has a part in the high school musical, Fiddler on the Roof.  Mitchell is back to playing soccer along with being part of student leadership and high school praise band.  

Recently we have had the opportunity to spend time with friends from near and far.  Ada's friend Julie and her husband were in Vienna for the night last week and we enjoyed a perfect night walking in downtown Vienna.  We got to see many of the historic sights at night while catching up with each other.  The conversation flowed just like always.  This past weekend was especially relaxing and refreshing!  Friday night we enjoyed dinner with close friends and their new baby.  Saturday was spent with friends relaxing and sharing a meal. Then on Sunday we had friends, Ted and Mary Lou Strawbridge from Ocala, show up at our church!  What a surprise!  That evening we got to have dinner together before they left town the next day.

Lydia with Baby Mateo

We were so encouraged from this time spent with friends.  As I texted to say "good-bye" Sunday evening and thank Mary Lou and Ted for dinner and the encouragement, she responded "God is so kind!!  Yes, yes He is, most gracious and kind!  May you experience the rest and refreshing that only He can give!

Love and Blessings from Vienna,

Ada (aka "Miss" Clair)

p.s. To receive our newsletter with updates and prayer requests send an email request to: 

billyandada@wiisanen.com

A Very Full Week!

It’s Saturday and the first official day of our Spring/Easter Break!  We have had an unusually busy week so I’m looking forward to a little down time.  Last Saturday, Billy left at 6:00am to fly to London until Thursday.  He spent Saturday through Monday sightseeing in London before heading to Oxford for school related training.   Lydia headed to volleyball by mid morning while Mitchell went to show choir practice and then met up with friends.  Mitchell’s friend Josh was staying with us for the week and he had a Romania mission team meeting along with chores to do at home.  I got up early to see Billy off and then get the required grocery shopping done so I could spend a leisurely afternoon with a girlfriend sipping tea and visiting the Easter markets.  Later, Lydia joined us and we had a girl’s night out for dinner!

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I worked from home while  2 repairmen fixed our leaking shower.  We discovered it was leaking into the downstairs apartment about 5 weeks ago, not good and have not been able to use it since then.   Thankfully we have a second shower, just in case you were wondering.   I’m pleased to report the shower is now repaired!!  

Lydia had 2 volleyball games this week. So Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon I enjoyed watching the games and visiting with her teammates’ parents.  I’m pleased to report that they won the game on Tuesday, but were not as fortunate on Wednesday.  Following the games, I hurried home to fix dinner for 3 and some days 4 hungry teenagers.  In addition, Mitchell and I ran errands to prepare for his France mission trip.

Thursday after school I had a staff meeting and then headed home to cook dinner and help Mitchell and Josh get ready for their trips.  Mitchell would be leaving Friday morning for France while Josh wouldn't leave until Saturday morning. The family room was filled with suitcases, clothes, and a drying rack full of laundry.  We double checked packing lists and made sure they had their important travel documents.  Everyone stayed up until after 11:00pm to greet Billy when he arrived home that evening.  

Click here to read more about the France Mission Trip

Following a late night, 5:00am Friday morning came early to get Mitchell up and to school by 6:15am.  After getting him off, the rest of us headed out to school at our usual time.  That evening, Billy and I helped with the International Family Fun Night (IFFN) at ICSV.  For IFFN, our student’s and their families wear international dress and bring food common to their home country to share.  There are various “country” rooms set up for everyone to visit and learn about the specific country.  After visiting the room, the children get their “passport” stamped.  It was a fun night visiting with our school families and a great way to learn about the different countries and cultures represented at the school.

We headed home after a fun evening to a slumber party with 3 girls and a boy doing his laundry and final packing.  Saturday morning Josh headed to the school at 7:30am to leave for Romania, while the girls all  slept in. We are thankful for a quiet day of rest and glad it is Spring Break! We hope  you all have a blessed and wonderful Easter!

Love and blessing from Vienna,
Ada (aka "Miss" Clair)