{"id":658,"date":"2022-07-06T18:38:22","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T18:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mari.dekle.us\/?p=658"},"modified":"2022-07-21T22:33:10","modified_gmt":"2022-07-21T22:33:10","slug":"i-love-austria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mari.dekle.us\/?p=658","title":{"rendered":"I Love Austria!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wednesday, July 6, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love Austria\u201d. That was a bumper sticker given to me many years ago. It was true! My love for Austria had been a seed planted as a young child. In my childhood years, this seed was watered and grew to the point where, in my senior year of High School, I wrote a short, 12-page story, which took place in Austria. I showed it to my Literature teacher, Miss Montgomery, who told me the story had much potential. She encouraged me to do something with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The next two years I spent the majority of my free time doing research for the book. Research wasn\u2019t my forte, but the help from my mentor and friend at the time, made it fun. She loved research and helped me in this phase of my book. The Novel continued to develop and so did my love for that little, land locked, history filled country in the middle of Europe. Then, while I was a preschool\/daycare teacher, the opportunity of a lifetime opened up, to go to a 6-month Bible School in Germany. I jumped at the chance though I only had the money for a one-way ticket to Germany and half the tuition. I felt I was to go, and leave the rest in the Lord\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While at the Bible School I never lacked the needed funds for the school or spending money. Furthermore, I was accepted by Operation Mobilization to be a summer missionary in Austria. My church decided to support me for this missionary trip which included my airfare home at the end of the summer. God was opening up opportunities each step of the way. Even when it looked like He skipped one step, He had it all worked out. There were around 3 months in between school and the missions\u2019 trip. What would I do during that time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One afternoon I was summoned to Charlie Moore\u2019s office, the school director. Normally any opportunities that came to the school he would open up to the whole student body. Not this time. He felt this opportunity was perfect for me: an Austrian family needed a nanny for a few months. It was a paying job. Austria, here I come!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The year I was in Germany and Austria not only gave my book (The Austrian Heirloom) more life than I ever dreamed possible, but it confirmed the fact that God had something planned for my future which involved Austria. This was exciting. I had left part of my heart in Austria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While attending Prairie Bible Institute (now Prairie College), that piece of my heart kept calling to me, beckoning me, longing to be reunited, so I prayed much about going back to Austria as a missionary. I looked into all different mission opportunities for Austria but nothing seemed right. Meanwhile, I was also very intrigued and burdened for Eastern Europe. Perhaps God had only used Austria as a stepping stone to the East? Wanting to be open to whatever God had planned, I kept an open mind. In my senior year of Bible School, I applied with a mission that would take me to Black Forrest Academy in Germany during the school year, as a dorm mom, and working in Eastern Europe in the summer months. It wasn\u2019t Austria, but it was the next best thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next best thing. When God places something on our hearts, like I thought He had placed Austria on mine, He doesn\u2019t settle for the next best thing and neither should we.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frustrated and seeking the Lords will in all this, I went for one of my long walks. I poured out my heart to Him, telling Him I was more than glad to keep going down this path if He wanted, but if not, what was I supposed to do? That\u2019s when He told me I was to stay on at PBI as secretary after graduation. It wasn\u2019t an audio voice from heaven, but the message was clear enough, just the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a problem with that option. Years before, I had been a secretary and vowed I would never be one again. Secretarial work was the last thing on my mind. Moreover, it wasn\u2019t Austria. That is when an argument began. Well, it was a one-sided argument. I presented all the reasons why I couldn\u2019t be a secretary but He just listened then held to His instructions. Finally, knowing I was fighting a loosing battle, I said ok, but on conditions. I dared give Him conditions?! I told Him I was not going to go apply for the job, they would have to approach me. As if that would be too hard for Him. I think He just smiled. What an amazing, patient God we serve!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few weeks before graduation, I found myself in Ed Wallan\u2019s office, talking to Shannon about nothing that had to do with secretarial work. As I stood up to leave, she stopped me. If I hadn\u2019t come in to see her, she would have requested an audience, as she had a job opportunity for me. She wanted to know if I would consider staying on as a secretary after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three things PBI always required new staff, one being a two-year commitment.  So, when she asked me if I would consider it, I told her I couldn\u2019t commit to two years. She replied, \u201cthat\u2019s ok.\u201d Then I proceeded to not commit to the other two as well. Her reply each time, \u201cthat\u2019s ok.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, I told her I would have to pray about it. Her reply, \u201cok, pray about it tonight and I will see you tomorrow.\u201d In that moment, my argument with the Lord came to mind and I started to laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI already know the answer,\u201d I replied and proceeded to tell her why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She smiled. \u201cThat\u2019s ok, you go and pray about it anyway and I will see you tomorrow!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you read my blog from last week, you will know, as Paul Harvey used to say, the rest of the story. God never makes any mistakes, or detours. In fact, the Bible tells us in Ephesians 1:4, \u201cHe chose us in Him before the foundation of the world\u2026\u201d <\/em><\/strong> Before the world began He already knew me. Mind boggling!! Furthermore, He has a plan and a purpose for my life! Psalm 139:15-16 says, \u201cMy frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet uniformed. And in Your book, they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, He doesn\u2019t just leave me to stumble around and try and figure His will out for myself. Psalm 32:8 makes it clear, \u201cI will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> I don\u2019t always understand what He is doing, but He has been faithful to guide me each step of my life\u2019s journey, and He\u2019s not done yet. Philippians 1:6 states we can be confident \u201cof this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He placed me on staff at PBI so I would be where I needed to be in order to meet the people I needed to meet, who would tell me what I needed to hear so I would know what God would have me do in Austria. Now that\u2019s mind boggling!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blessings, Mari<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wednesday, July 6, 2022 \u201cI love Austria\u201d. That was a bumper sticker given to me many years ago. It was true! My love for Austria had been a seed planted as a young child. In my childhood years, this seed was watered and grew to the point where, in my senior year of High School,… Continue reading I Love Austria!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mari.dekle.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mari.dekle.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mari.dekle.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mari.dekle.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mari.dekle.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=658"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mari.dekle.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":662,"href":"https:\/\/mari.dekle.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658\/revisions\/662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mari.dekle.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mari.dekle.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mari.dekle.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}