grace paced: Travel (B)log 6

From Jena, we traveled to Berlin, Germany. Even though it was a brief visit, we still got a sense of the hard, cold tiredness of the surrounding culture, and the delight and refreshment the sweet, lively hearts there must bring to the community and to Berlin’s overall spiritual climate.
We left Berlin the next day for Austria. Here we had the privilege of staying at a beautiful retreat center. As the only group there, we enjoyed the feel of having a ‘home’ of our own, and had a great time preparing and eating dinner together as a team. The peace we received here turned frozen pizza and salad into all the pleasure of a home-cooked family meal. (The decorative candles may have helped a bit, too.) What a good (and refreshing) reminder of the rest our missionaries – and all who serve – need in order to have peace to offer others. In the morning we visited Axel, the pastor for a church just outside of Salzburg, the. most. beautiful city I’ve ever seen; in its surroundings and physical structures as much as the people inhabiting them. I remain fully enamored.
Though everyone we met to this point had been friendly, Axel had a special lightness about him, which I have come to learn can rightly stand described as ‘characteristically Austrian.’ He gave a nice overview of the history of the Church in Europe (one for which my Johnson professors would squeal in intellectual delight,) brought to light the reality of the growth of Islam there most recently, and then opened the time to questions. When inquired about the difference between Austrians and Germans he replied “In Germany they’re more direct, great with numbers, love ‘numbers, numbers, numbers.’ They’re focused on the result. Austrians are more… what we call, ‘cozy,’ you know?” He said that much of the Church’s ‘work’ there is purely relational – people want to know you, and want you to know them. About their growing youth ministry, he noted, “what they like is that you take care of them.” It seems everyone in Austria both requires and desires that part of interaction and familiarity that can only result from relating. They need first to know they can trust you, and next to know you care. Only after that could they ever want to know anything else. As a people they’re welcoming and friendly and have an accommodating, loving intrigue for those they don’t know. In more of Axel’s wise words, summarizing our discussion and perhaps all of Austria’s mindset:
“If you come, you’re welcome. But please stay.”
We had the rest of the day to explore Salzburg, and made sure to stop nearly everywhere he recommended we see, including his favorite Café, the magnificent Fortress, and an authentic Austrian restaurant. This whole visit was bittersweet for our family-team as our last full day together, but we didn’t let that keep us from enjoying it well.