Aaron and Stacey Drake

April Misc Kid Pics

2008-05-01T09:30:00.003-05:00

Seth on his "motorcycle"

Noah in a face painting mood

That can't be comfortable

Macho Macho Man

Artist at work

Pretty in pink

Noah drops the training wheels

Noah Turns 7

2008-05-01T09:19:00.004-05:00

Noah turned 7 on April 6th! He is definitely not Mommy's little boy anymore. It's awesome to see him grow up and let go of some things and grab hold of others. Of course, now that he is 7 his new phrase is, "that's for little kids".

Birthday Party Crafts

2008-03-28T13:50:00.002-05:00

Last week we went to a birthday party for a friends daughter. The kids got to paint little pottery animals and they actually got more paint on the potter than themselves...for once.

More March Misc. Kid Pics

2008-03-25T12:23:00.004-05:00

Noah and Seth playing PS2...Seth is convinced that he wins every game.

Young Mozart at work.

Anna's favorite spot...she practically lives in this cabinet.

Just another example of how attached Seth is to his hats.

Easter 2008

2008-03-25T11:56:00.003-05:00

Here are some pics from our Easter weekend. The kids had a great time coloring and finding the eggs and an even better time eating the candy. Mom and Dad didn't have such a great time trying to get them to go to sleep that night! I also snowed on Easter! Noah was quick to point out that our seasons are all messed up because we had a green christmas and a white easter.

Anna looking cute in her Easter dress. O yea, She's walking now!

Anna and MawMaw Courtney

What a deal..Ella got an Easter basket and an Easter hat!

Our Easter snow!

Seth and his new Easter hat

Noah looking handsome in his Easter clothes.

Seth with his favorite hat.

March Miscellaneous Kid Pics

2008-03-25T11:42:00.003-05:00

Noah is really into taking pictures and Seth usually has the privilege of being his test subject.

If you'll, notice nearly all of the pictures of Seth from the last few months are of him wearing a hat. He is obsessed with hats and shoes and as you can see from this picture, all other clothing items are optional.

If Noah is quiet you can bet he is probably building something. I came into his room the other day and found him making a hammock for his teddy bear.

Seth was pretty fascinated by the spot remover. Notice he is also wearing a scarf and cap indoors. That's pretty typical for him. That is when he decides to wear clothes.

Another of Noah's many constructions. Please don't get the wrong idea...we do require our children to wear clothes now and then.

Two cute sisters.

A happy little girl

Ella and her Austrian hat.

Valentine's Day Candy

2008-03-25T11:33:00.002-05:00

Just some pictures of the kids devouring some Valentine's Day candy. I'm not sure that Anna actually got any in her mouth.

Anna's 1st Birthday

2008-03-24T21:32:00.003-05:00

Anna turned 1 year old on February 25 and devoured her first cake. The pictures are a combination of the 2 parties that she had, one with Stacey's family and one with Aaron's. She's growing up so fast and I think she is just days from walking!

New Pictures Soon

2008-02-29T13:13:00.001-06:00

Sorry we haven't had a chance to get any new pictures up this month. Check back for pictures in the next week of Anna's first birthday and our trip to Austria.

Magic House

2008-01-17T22:40:00.000-06:00

I don't see how Stacey can take four little kids out in public at the same time, especially to a place like the magic house (and take pictures too!). Our kids are blessed to have the greatest mom in the world!

The Best Gift Ever!

2008-01-17T16:38:00.000-06:00

Stacey's brother got the kids a bounce house for Christmas and it has to be one of the greatest gifts ever. I think more for us than the kids. It is perfect for getting out excess energy (especially for Noah). If you have kids you should get one (or a nice uncle)

.

Ella Dance

2008-01-17T16:12:00.000-06:00

Ella has been in dance class for the past few weeks and absolutely loves it. I don't think she will be on Dancing with the Stars anytime soon, but she is having lots of fun.

Making Christmas Cookies

2008-01-17T16:06:00.000-06:00

We had a great time making Christmas cookies with the kids, although I think the cleanup was more work than the cookies. Seth isn't big enough to make the cookies but he sure enjoyed eating them!

Thiess Farm

2007-11-15T13:34:00.001-06:00

We discovered a really cool farm to go to before Aaron leaves for Austria called Thiess Farm. It's a pretty normal farm but during the fall they construct a huge playland for kids all out of hay bails. There was a zipline, corn maze, pirate ship, castle, obstacle course and tractor ride just to name a few things. They also had a maze that was completely closed in, if you didn't have a flashlight it was pitch black! I think Mom and Dad had just as much fun as the kids. It was a great family day. Here are some pics...

Rid'em Cowboy!

Lots of pumpkins and tired kids

This is less than half of the playground

Ella zippin' down the line

I don't think Seth could be any happier

Food Fun

2007-11-15T10:45:00.000-06:00

We do feed our kids vegetables occasionally too, but these are some good pics...

The best way to eat a carmel apple...in the bathtub!

Whipped Cream:
Calories: 15
Fat - 1g

Serving size: 1 Mouthful

Fall Festival Costumes

2007-11-15T10:32:00.001-06:00

Aaron was in Austria during Halloween so Stacey took the kids to a fall festival at a local church. Stacey's parents were able to go as well and they all had a great time. Anna really didn't know what to think about her ladybug outfit and Seth refused to keep on his Giraffe head. Of course Noah and Ella felt right at home with their outfits. I think Ella would dress like Cinderella every day if we would let her!

Seth turns 2!

2007-11-15T09:31:00.000-06:00

Seth turned 2 on November 6. He is getting so big. Aaron has been traveling so much over the past few months that he has really noticed how much he's growing up every time he comes home. It seems like his language skills almost doubled while Aaron was in Texas last month. His personality is getting more and more distinctive by the day and he is definitely all boy.

For his birthday we started out at his favorite train store that has tons of wooden tracks for kids to play on. Trains really keep his attention for a long time. Then we had lunch at McDonalds with a Playland and finished with a little party with Aaron's family.

Playing at the train store

Thrilled with his new puzzle

Taking Thomas for a spin

Blowing out the candles (well, trying anyway)

Aaron's Grandma Goes Home

2007-10-23T12:01:00.000-05:00

You may remember our post just two months ago about Aaron's Grandma turning 100 and the great party we had. Well, at 10:30 on October 22, she started a much better party that will last for eternity. She lived a wonderful, full life and impacted countless numbers of people (she knows now how many). We will not be able to make the funeral because Aaron leaves for Germany on Thursday, but we were blessed to have made the party and say our goodbyes. This truly is a time to celebrate the homecoming of a saint.

Edna Drake 1907-2007

Welcome to the family, Warja!

2007-10-23T11:58:00.000-05:00

Aaron's nephew, Mark, is serving in Iraq but was able to get a few days off to come back to the U.S. to get married! While stationed in Germany, Mark met a wonderful young lady from Russia and they were married this past Thursday. It was great to meet and welcome Warja to the family!

Ella turns 4!

2007-10-23T11:55:00.000-05:00

Ella turned 4 on Oct. 20. We celebrated at the zoo.

Special birthday curls!

Sept/Oct Kid Pics

2007-10-15T20:54:00.000-05:00

Anna 7 months

Misc. Kid Pics

2007-08-10T14:26:00.001-05:00

Another tooth bites the dust

Branson Vacation

2007-08-10T14:02:00.001-05:00

While in Branson, we took a few extra days for vacation. I would say for relaxation, but that would not be true. Vacation with 4 small children is anything but relaxing! But it was fun. The kids had a great time at Silver Dollar City and the small water park at our hotel.

Anna soakin' up some rays

Noah playing miniature golf

Ridin' the frog

How sweet

Noah with Curious George

Seth and Daddy

Ella and Mommy

Seth is up to something...

100th Birthday Celebration

2007-08-10T13:50:00.001-05:00

We had the rare privilege to celebrate the 100th birthday of Aaron's great grandmother! The party was in Branson, Mo. where she lives and it was a great time to catch up with a lot of family that we have not seen in years. Edna Drake is a full blooded choctaw indian in great health, with only the faintest sign of slowing down. To best illustrate how active she is, on her 90th birthday she asked for a chainsaw. She had some trees that needed cutting back. She settled for a weedeater instead, but we made the mistake of telling her that we would get her the chainsaw for her 100th birthday. Fortunately, she did not hold us to that. Not many parents get the opportunity for their kids to meet their great great grandma and we treasure it. Here is a picture of grandma with the kids, representing 5 generations!

Who Needs a Dog?

2007-07-11T13:55:00.000-05:00

MIsc. Kid Pics

2007-07-11T13:36:00.000-05:00

New Anna Pictures - 4 months old

2007-07-11T13:30:00.000-05:00

The Many Facets of Seth

2007-07-11T13:27:00.000-05:00

Seth is going through a dress up phase. Here are just a few that we have captured.

Fishing Outing

2007-07-11T13:16:00.000-05:00

Noah and I went fishing with some of the kids from church. He was learning to cast for the first time and picked it up quickly. He enjoyed casting more than catching fish!

Noah Finally Loses Front Tooth

2007-06-08T10:22:00.001-05:00

After several weeks of wiggling, Noah was finally able to dislodge his front tooth.

Trying Out The New Swings

2007-06-07T10:40:00.000-05:00

Aunt Amanda and her boyfriend, Aaron, got the kids swings. They were a big hit!

Anna and Bear - 3 Months

2007-06-07T10:39:00.000-05:00

Anna and Bear - 2 Months

2007-06-07T10:37:00.000-05:00

Noah Thinks He's Spiderman

2007-05-04T10:33:00.000-05:00

Easter Egg Hunting

2007-04-30T15:47:00.000-05:00

Noah's First Cardinals Game

2007-04-30T15:43:00.000-05:00

For Noah's 6th birthday, Aaron took him to his first Cardinals game...He loved every minute of it!

Salute!...i have no idea why.

Getting a closer look

Busch Stadium

Noah Turns 6!

2007-04-30T15:35:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics from Noah's 6th Birthday party. The only thing he asked for was a pinata and he certainly was not disappointed!

Cake and singing

Getting ready

Stand back!

Stampede!

See the madness!

Seth is Joining the Globetrotters

2007-04-13T18:28:00.000-05:00

New Anna Pictures - 4 weeks

2007-04-13T18:22:00.000-05:00

We will take a picture each month with this bear for her first year to chart her growth

New Pictures of Anna

2007-03-12T20:59:00.000-05:00

Anna is two weeks old now! Here are some new pictures...

Welcome Anna Courtney Drake

2007-02-26T20:40:00.000-06:00

Anna Courtney Drake came into the world on February 25, 2007 at 3:21am. She weighed 7 lbs 1 oz and measured 19 3/4 inches.

labor started exactly the same way that it did with our last child Seth, but turned out a little different. While labor with Seth only lasted 1 1/2 hours, Anna hung around for about 10 hours before she was ready to make her entrance in the world. we arrived at the hospital at 5:30 in the evening but barely made any progress until about 1:30am. All the progress was made in the last 90 minutes and she was ready at 3:12. Stacey did a wonderful job throughout and our great nurses made sure that things went very smoothly.

Noah and Ella have visited the hospital twice and are extremely excited for little Anna to come home. Seth doesn't really have a clue but is in for a rude awakening when he realizes that he is not the baby anymore. He is quite the mama's boy and that will come to a screeching halt!

Stacey and Anna will be going home tomorrow and then the fun really starts!

Check out our website to see some pictures from the hospital here.

Seth Climbing Pictures and Video

2007-02-07T17:28:00.000-06:00

Seth is by far the most fearless child we have. Combine that with his creativity and we have our hands full. He figured out how to push a little table that he has up against the door and open it, before he was even able to walk. His latest feat is climbing onto the dining room chair and then onto the table. I discovered this the other night while i was cooking dinner, I turned around to find him on the table putting Cheetos into a glass of water. I to some video of him climbing on the bunk bed and a couple of pics as well.

>

Snow Fun

2007-01-23T20:54:00.000-06:00

We had a few inches of snow this past weekend in St. Louis and the kids were thrilled. As I said before, a sled was the only thing Noah wanted for Christmas. Needless to say, we were praying there would be at least one more snowfall this winter for Noah's sake.

Throwing snowballs

Noah thought shoveling the sidewalk was fun for about 5 minutes

What an angel!

Noah and his new buddy

Christmas Pictures

2007-01-19T22:30:00.000-06:00

Ella opening a present with Aunt "Amandy"

Noah and Ella dressed as Sporticus and Stephanie from their favorite tv show "Lazytown"

Stacey and the kids on Christmas morning

Aaron trying to keep up with Noah at the City Museum

Noah with his new sled. This was the ONLY thing he asked for this year!

Seth is wrapping a present of his own

Seth calling his girlfriend in Austria. Long distance relationships are so expensive!

New Family Pictures

2007-01-18T10:04:00.000-06:00

Here just a few of over 100 pictures Aaron's sister, Amanda, took of us just before Thanksgiving.

New Year, New Ministry...Same Mission

2007-01-18T09:57:00.000-06:00

As most of you already know by now, we have recently started a new ministry to enable us to fulfill the vision that God has given us for Europe. Drake Ministries International will now be the vehicle that we believe will take us into the most fruitful years of our ministry. This is only the beginning, but we are expecting big things!

One thing that has not changed is our mission - To see Europe transformed for Christ. We will continue to touch Europe through Church Planting, Leadership Development and Reaching the Next Generation. While our mission is still the same, our vision is increasing everyday and we are more excited about what God is going to do now than ever before.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions about Drake Ministries Intl.

Priest burns himself to death over Islam

2006-11-05T08:27:00.000-06:00

Here is an interesting article that shows just how tense the relations between Christianity and Islam are getting in Europe. Muslim immigrants are flooding into Germany, Italy and Austria at an alarming rate and I am sure it will only escalate from here. Pray for peace and for European Christians to incorporate their faith into their public life, which for most still remains a private issue.

click here for story:
Priest burns himself to death over Islam

Noah loses first tooth...then the second

2006-09-04T15:07:00.000-05:00

Noah lost his first tooth 10 days ago and then the one next to it came out today. He has been pretty excited about it. I think it's mostly about the money under his pillow. fortunately for us, he thinks the more coins the better whether it's a penny or a one Euro coin. He got 3 - .20 pieces for his last tooth and you would have thought he won the lottery. here is a picture...

i couldn't put up a picture of Noah without putting up ones of Ella and Seth, so here they are...

#4 is on the way!

2006-09-04T14:31:00.000-05:00

yes it's true, we are now expecting our fourth child. you could say we have been doubly blessed by living in Austria, we came with two...and now it's 4. Our quiver is expanding and we could not be more thrilled. We are just trying to cram them all in the shortest time possible, we are doing pretty well so far. We figured the other day that when the baby is born, Stacey will have been pregnant 36 of the past 79 months. almost half! Fortunately for me, Stacey is truly gifted to bear children. I can honestly say that her mood, attitude and cheerful spirit are no different whether she is pregnant or not. And that does not mean pregnancy is a walk in the park for her. She just determines to be happy and a blessing to those around her. She is awesome! We are not sure if it's a boy or a girl and really don't care either way. I am making no predictions, i learned my lesson with Ella. The only minor problem is that our apartment and car are too small for our growing family. Seth sleeps in the bathroom as it is. i'm not complaining though, if we need to we could certainly put the new baby in the bathtub ;-) however, it is impossible to put 6 people in our car, so we will be looking soon for a bigger apartment and a mini van!

Nothing Is Free...

2006-08-17T12:16:00.000-05:00

Here's another chapter in the story of "Nothing is free here". the other day there was a knock on the door. we opened it and were met by the "television and radio police". Fortunately they don't wear uniforms, that would have been frightening. They were there to inspect our house for unregistered televisions and radios. Needless to say, our TV and radios are not registered and we were told there was a 1,500 Euro fine. But they had mercy on us because we were foreigners and gave us a second chance to register. It amazes me that we have been here almost a year and a half and we are still learning new things. I think i may have read somewhere before we moved that they tax tv and radio usage, but it has never been brought up until now. Thank God for His mercy!

Here's something you don't run into in America...

2006-08-16T16:07:00.000-05:00

Quick story...I was on my way to a meeting tonight when i got stuck in traffic for 45 minutes. That is pretty much unheard of in Innsbruck. I can drive to Italy in 45 minutes. The worst traffic i have ever been in here might have delayed me 10 minutes. anyway, i find out later that they had rerouted traffice and evacuated some buildings because while digging at a construction site, they found a WWII bomb that had been dropped from an airplane and did not detonate. I'm not kidding! I wonder what that would go for on ebay?

Munich, Guitars and One Last Salzburg Trip

2006-06-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I took a little road trip with a couple of guys who wanted to buy some guitars. Manuel and Thomas have been saved 1 year and 3 months respectively. God has been doing some really amazing things here in worship and as a result, several people have been inspired to learn an instrument. I have been giving Manuel guitar lessons for about 6 weeks now and Thomas keyboard lessons for about 4 weeks. Manuel borrowed a guitar from a friend for a while, but Thomas was so motivated that he bought an 800 Euro keyboard off of eBay before he ever had a single lesson. Both have picked up their instruments very quickly and Manuel was ready to buy a guitar. There is only one music store in Innsbruck and everything is more expensive than it should be, so we decided to take a trip to Munich where we could get things much cheaper. Someone from the church also has a friend who works at a large music store in Munich and we were able to get a great discount. When Thomas found out we were going, he said that he wants to learn electric guitar as well and wanted to go and buy a guitar and amp. We had a blast playing everything and Manuel came away with a great European, hand made acoustic guitar and Thomas bought a Fender Strat and a Fender amp. Neither of them have slept much in the past few days!

We then drove to Salzburg for my last trip of the summer. I have been going there once a month to develop their leaders and their worship team. We had a great time. The evening was capped off by a young man named Daniel giving his life to Christ and the baptism of another young man named Simon. Simon asked us after the service if we could baptize him. We said, "Of course!" and headed down to the lake. It was right at sunset when we arrived and it could not have been more beautiful. I have included a couple of pictures for you to enjoy. The next few months here in Innsbruck will be very busy as we prepare for some major outreaches in the fall.

Death Without Fear

2006-06-19T02:54:00.000-05:00

I (Aaron) received the phone call from my parents last night that my Grandmother on my father's side passed away. It was not a big surprise, her health had declined over the last year and then she was hospitalized a couple of weeks ago and we knew the end was coming soon. She was a believer and we are rejoicing with her that she is now in the presence of God for eternity!

There is an aspect of this that can encourage us all...She had no fear of death. In fact, she eagerly anticipated it and was excited to meet Jesus face to face. Her last couple of days were mostly spent unconscious because of the medications, but a few times she woke up and was rather upset that she was still alive! She understood that a believer in Christ has no reason to fear death. We have the promise that by believing in Christ and what He did on the cross, we will spend eternity with Him. No other religion offers that assurance. Most religions rely on works or good deeds to secure your place in heaven and you ultimately won't know until the day of judgment whether or not you measure up. I also find that many Christians live their whole life with a fear of dying because they fear that they don't measure up. Our confidence is anchored in

Ephesians 2:8- "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."

I pray that when it comes time for each of us to crossover into eternity that we have the same confidence and excitement to meet our Creator as my grandmother did yesterday. God is faithful and His promises are true!

World Cup Begins

2006-06-12T06:09:00.000-05:00

Well, the biggest sporting event in the world has begun. No, it's not the Superbowl or World Series. Its the World Cup, and to everyone outside of the U.S., that implies Soccer (or Football as it's called by the rest of the world). I didn't fully realize until I moved out of the U.S. just how popular soccer is. Actually, it's more like a religion than a sport in most countries. And I must admit that I have not given it much of a chance. Since we moved here, I have probably watched a grand total of 10 minutes of soccer. Now that the World Cup has started, I took this as a great opportunity to dive in head first and I like it more than I thought I would. For those of you who know almost nothing about the World Cup, which I imagine is many of you, I thought I would give you a brief rundown.

The World Cup takes place once every four years, this year it is held in Germany. During 3 years in between, 197 countries compete in a series of qualifying matches, resulting in 32 "all-star" teams representing their country competing in matches held in 12 cities throughout Germany. There is a group phase in which all teams play three games. They then proceed to a knockout phase which will reduce the teams by half to 16, then single elimination down to 8...4....2....and ultimately 1 winner. The tournament started on Friday, the 9th. Germany won the first game against Costa Rica, 4-2. In honor of our friends in Costa Rica, the Salas family, I wore my Costa Rican jersey, but it proved to not be enough. Sorry guys. The U.S. plays their first game tonight against the Czech Republic. While everyone thinks that their country will win it all, it's hard to bet against the Brazilians. They are the reigning champions and have appeared in 7 of the 17 World Cup finals, winning 5 of them (the most of any country).

the games are not without political intrigue. Saturday's game between Mexico and Iran sparked several protests in Nuernberg. As you may know, the president of Iran has said on more than one occasion that the Holocaust never happened and that Isreal should be, "wiped off the map". The Iranian president is not in Germany, but there has already been speculation that if Iran makes it out of the knockout round (which is not likely), would he come. If he did come, how would he be treated by the German government because of his comments. It will be very interesting to see what happens if that is the case.

So, there you have it. Whether you wanted to know or not, now you do. For those of you who are true World Cup fans, forgive my crude and simple explanation. Help me cheer on the US tonight. The game is on at 6pm central European Time, which is 11am Central Time in the States. Go U.S.A! (Austria is not in the World Cup, so I have no conflicts in who to pull for!)

Leadership Retreat in Switzerland

2006-06-08T02:32:00.000-05:00

I (Aaron) just returned from a 4 day leadership retreat we held in Davos, Switzerland, for our student leaders in Innsbruck, Nürnberg and Salzburg. We had a tremendous time, as everything we have been doing for the last 18 months led up to this moment. We have now officially transferred the leadership of the Campus Ministry into the hands of the students leaders here in Innsbruck. Volker Krais is a full time Campus Minister that our team has been training and now he is officially leading the ministry. It's hard to express in words the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that we feel, knowing that we have really built something here that will last. God really has done far more than we could have ever expected!

At 1,560 Meters, Davos is the highest city in Europe. Needless to say, the drive up was breathtaking. To get there, we had to drive across the summit of the mountain, which led us up to 2,400 Meters. Everything was pure white with snow and the glare from the sun was blinding. I did not have sunglasses and had to keep my eyes closed almost the entire time. Good thing I was not driving! Although Davos is a very small town known only for it's skiing, they are famous for hosting political summit, such as the G-8 summit and the World Economic Summit. It really is a beautiful place.

God did some amazing things in the hearts of our students this weekend and we have every confidence that the ministry will grow far more under their leadership that it ever could under ours. Enjoy the pictures!

view of Davos from the retreat center

we had some awesome worship led by Lenny from Nürnberg

Erwin from Salzburg was deeply touched during worship

Ready to take on Europe for Christ!

Milan, Italy

2006-05-29T04:27:00.000-05:00

Last week we had the opportunity to make a trip to Milan, Italy. Milan is a beautiful city and very different from Innsbruck. During our 4 day stay, we did get a chance to see some of the sites, but that was not the primary purpose of our visit. We were there to visit some friends who had recently moved to Milan from Namibia, Africa.

Two years ago, we met a family from Namibia while we were in Pastor's School in Nashville. They were originally from Johannesburg, SA and had been pastoring a church in Namibia as misisonaries for a couple of years. We reconnected with them just shortly after we moved to Innsbruck and found out that they were considering moving to Milan to plant a church. The Siani family moved to Milan in December 2005. Franco was born in Italy and lived there for a few years until his family moved to South Africa. They have a heart for all of Italy and hope to plant a church in Rome as well. This is also our heart and we had a great time together, dreaming and planning our futures!

Milan is a very difficult place to plant a church. Being the financial and fashion capital of Milan (maybe the fashion capital of the world!), it is a very materialistic society. Everywhere you look, you see people of all ages who look like they just stepped out of a magazine or off a runway. People are much more interested in their appearance than they are the condition of their soul. Most people do not want to talk about spiritual things. Even Catholicism is practiced less in Milan than in most other parts of Italy. Italians are a unique people in their culture and the way they think. It really helps that Franco is Italian. He understands them because he is one of them! While things are difficult, they are encouraged and optimistic about the future! We are looking forward to developing our relationship with them and seeing how we can work together to plant churches in Italy. Please pray for them.

We did get a chance to see some of the famous sites in Milan. Enjoy the pictures and imagine yourself there! (a couple of the pictures are stock photos, they turned out better than mine)

The Siani Family - Franco, Daleen, Peter (10) and Sabrina (8)

Sfrozesco Castle in the center of Milan

Duomo di Milano. This gothic style cathedral built in 1386 is the second largest in the world

this shopping center is one of the most famous in Italy. The store on the left is Prada and on the right you have Louis Vuitton. Sorry, no Christmas shopping here!

Salzburg

2006-05-08T04:32:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity last weekend to travel to Salzburg for some ministry. This the first of 3 monthly trips that I will be taking with some very specific goals in mind. There is a remarkable young man there, Simon, who has taken the lead in setting up a monthly service to reach young people in High School and college. He is doing a great job and is patterning it after what we are doing in Innsbruck with U-NITE. They have a handful of musicians there, so I will be going each of the next three months to work with the band, teaching them about worship and raising the quality of music they play. Martin is the worship leader and I will be mentoring him to maximize the call that God has on his life. I also spend time with Simon to develop his leadership. They have only had 5 meetings and run anywhere from 20-35 young people.

Last weeks trip was very successful, as the Simon and the worship band were hungry to learn all they could. I also preached a message to lift their faith, challenging them to believe God for huge things, things they never had imagined before. I was excited to get a call from Erwin, one of the guys in the band to tell me that God had answered every prayer that he had this week! Of course I told him that meant he needs to be praying for bigger things! His faith is growing as he sees God's faithfulness.

I am very excited about what the coming months will bring and expect that the seeds sown will bring a harvest for years to come. I took some pictures for you, enjoy!

Rehearsing with the band, Martin on left

Me preaching with Simon translating

worship during U-NITE

Noah Turns 5

2006-04-16T16:45:00.000-05:00

One of the benefits from our trip to the States was that we were able to Celebrate Noah's birthday with friends and family. He made out pretty well with a friends birthday party at the St. Louis Zoo, as well as a family birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. It was great for our families to see him open his presents, rather than mailing them and not being able to see his excitement. Legos are the thing now and he is building up quite the collection. Thomas the Tank Engine has been officially replaced! The weather for our Zoo party was perfect and a nice break from all the snow we have had this year in Innsbruck. Of course, turning 5 has changed Noah's life dramatically, or at least he thinks it should. Everything that he was too young to do when he was 4, he thinks he should be able to do now that he is 5. He would probably try to drive the car if we let him! When we moved, he was old enough to remember his friends from St. Louis, so it was especially exciting for him to be able to spend his birthday with them. Time sure is flying fast, which is why we try to capture every moment on film (or memory card). Enjoy the pictures.

In awe of the Madagascar cake

Now for the good stuff

Give him something to climb and he will conquer it

Mommy and Ella on the train

Happy Easter!

2006-04-16T16:12:00.000-05:00

Fröhliche Ostern, as we say here in Austria. We hope that you had a great Easter with your friends and families, celebrating the Resurrection of our Savior. Stacey and I watched "The Passion" on Friday night, I had not seen it since it came out in the Theaters. It was just as moving seeing it the second time as the first. I am amazed at what Christ did for someone so undeserving as me, which makes me all the more grateful that He did. It also rekindles the fires of evangelism in me, seeing what Christ suffered for all the world, not just me and you. I pray that we all labor to tell those we know what Christ did for them because He "so loved the world".

On a less spiritual note, we had a great time with the kids hunting Easter eggs. You would have thought it was Christmas morning around here! Noah and Ella were so excited to explore every inch of the flat is search for goodies. Here are some pictures of the kids. Hope your Easter was as blessed as ours!

Ella enjoys the fruits of her labor

Aaron reads the Easter story to Noah

Seth couldn't hunt for eggs, so he just looked cute!

Caught in a Whirlwind

2006-04-16T14:48:00.000-05:00

That pretty much sums up what our life has felt like over the last couple of months. I apologize that it has been so long since our last update, so this might be a little longer than usual to catch you up.

Getting a visa here in Austria has proven to be a very difficult task. We do have reason to rejoice, as one of the other American families just received their visa in March after having applied almost 1 year ago. Without a visa, we need to leave the European Union every six months and say away for several weeks to stay "off the radar" so to speak. We thought we would be able to have our papers filed before our most recent six month deadline, but due to recent changes we were not. However, when we found that out, it was pretty late in the game. We found out on March 2 that we had about 36 hours to leave the European Union!

We had two options, go back to the States, or a European country outside of the Union, such as Switzerland or Croatia. After a few hours of prayer, discussion and crunching the numbers, we decided that our cheapest option was to head to the States for a few weeks. I was able to purchase tickets at a great price, considering the short notice, but that was just the first hurdle for us to get back to St. Louis. Because we were caught off guard by this, Seth did not have a passport. Vienna is the only consulate in Austria and our only chance of getting a passport on such short notice. We got up Friday morning and set off for Vienna, a 5 hour drive to get the passport. We returned back to Innsbruck about 9pm that night and started to pack, knowing that we had to get up at 5am the next morning to get to the airport.

Saturday morning, we wake up bright and early and head to Munich, were we are flying out and about halfway there it starts to snow. It continues to snow harder and harder and traffic is now stopped on the highway. What should have taken 1 1/2 hours, turned into a 6 hour trip and we missed our flight by 2 1/2 hours! We were able to get a hotel room for the night and the kids had a lot of energy that they needed to work out. Two of our friends drove with us to Munich so that they could drive our car back. It was not long after they started back to Innsbruck that they returned. They heard on the radio that there was a 45km traffic jam and that the red cross was bringing blankets and hot drinks because they expected people to be stranded all night! We got them a room and they went back the next day. The next morning our flight finally gets off the ground after sitting on the runway for 2 hours because of the snow and ice. We were very happy to arrive in St. Louis and have that whole ordeal behind us. We knew that God must have something big in store if the devil worked that hard to try and keep us from coming back!

Turns out, He did! Just days after we returned, some unexpected events unfolded that made it obvious exactly why God brought us back when he did. In the midst of some adverse circumstances, God showed Himself faithful over and over again and His sovereign hand guided us the entire time.

There are many wonderful challenges in taking 3 small children on trans-continental flights. Long lines when the kids are antsy, being confined to small places for 10-12 hours at a time and staying awake for more than 24 hours just to name a few. But the biggest challenge is jet lag because it affects our kids worse than us. Innsbruck is 7 hours ahead of St. Louis, so for the first couple of days, Noah and Ella woke up at 3:30am! It gradually got later over the next few days. I never thought I would be so happy to have my kids "sleep in" until 6am. Those first few days, we ate breakfast at 4am, lunch at 8am, and lunch again at 12! Although I think it was worse when we got back. For the first few days, they would not go to sleep until 2-3am. It is strange watching Ice Age with your 5 and 2 year old at 1am, while fixing them sandwiches because they are hungry. That gradually worked itself out as well and now after a week, they are back to their normal routine.

There were several bright points in our trip. My family has not been able to see Seth since he was born, so it was a thrill for them to have him around for a few weeks. My parents built a new home that they moved into on Valentine's Day and were more than happy to open it up to us to stay with them. We were able to visit other friends and family who mean a lot to us and we miss dearly. We also were able to celebrate both Stacey and Noah's birthdays while in the States. We threw a surprise party for Stacey and Noah had a party with his friends at the Zoo. There will be an update on Noah's Birthday soon.
Needless to say, the last 2 months have felt like we were picked up by a tornado and flung across the world and back again. All in all, we see God's hand and purposes in the process and gives us even more reason to trust Him with our lives. He is faithful!

Noah In Austria

2006-02-10T14:46:00.000-06:00

We thought we would let you know what Noah has been up to lately.

Noah attends kindergarten here in the little town of Igls where we live. Although it took some time to get used to it, especially because they speak a different language, he has warmed up to it and really enjoys going now. He even has a little girlfriend named Anna. She runs out to meet him in the hallway every morning when he arrives. His favorite activities at school are playing in the Kuschelecke (the cuddle room) which is filled with pillows that he and his classmates can jump around in and playing with Legos and magnetic building toys. They go ice skating every Thursday and rodeling every now and then.

Noah went to ski school all this week and did great! We were so impressed at how quickly he learned and how much he wanted to try it again every time he fell. The last day they set up a race with flags and everything. The Olympics start tomorrow about 5 hours from here. I wonder if it's too late for him to enter. There are some pictures below, but you can also click on this link to download a short video.

Noah Ski School Movie

On a funny note, most of the shows he watches on TV are on the BBC (British Broadcasting Corp.)He's actually started asking questions now with a British accent in his voice. This child is very confused, he does not know whether he is American, Austrian or British.

Noah is quite the little parent, too. Of course he adores Seth and is constantly in the poor little guyÂs face talking to him, reading him books, giving him toys, and trying to make him laugh, but he tries to parent Ella as well. Just last weekend after Aaron went looking for a quiet Noah and Ella, he found Noah half-way finished changing EllaÂs diaper for the first time. And just a few short hours later, after hearing Noah say, "Upsie-daisie Ella" we found him lifting her onto her toilet seat, trying to help her go potty.

All in all, Noah is such a blessing and constantly keeps us laughing and on our toes!

Noah and his best friend, Benjamin, showing off their medals

Headin' to the top

Next week we will give you updates on Ella and Seth.

Great News On Aaron's Knee

2006-01-04T10:31:00.000-06:00

I went to the doctor today for my follow up visit and he gave me great news! He said my ligament ruptures were in the best possible location for healing. I will not need surgery, I just need to wear my brace for 4 more weeks. With the brace I can do anything that I feel comfortable doing, although I don’t think that will include snowboarding. He said that physical therapy may give me a quicker healing, but is not required. My knee will recover 100%! This was very exciting to hear and I thank you all for your prayers.

Seth - 8 Weeks Old

2006-01-03T14:43:00.000-06:00

Wow! I can't believe Seth is already 8 weeks old. It certainly doesn't seem that long. He is getting so big. Some friends of ours here had their 3rd child today and it's amazing how much bigger Seth is than a newborn now. It amazing how much he is looking like Noah's baby pictures. It looks like we had twins, 4 1/2 years apart. Here are a couple of pictures.

A Very Merry Drake Christmas

2006-01-03T13:44:00.000-06:00

Our first Christmas in Austria was great! It was nice to be able to count on a white Christmas. Unlike life back in St. Louis, where you hope for one, but have no idea if you will get it. It snowed on Christmas Eve and it was picture perfect. With presents wrapped and placed under our first fake tree, we held on to our American traditions and opened presents on Christmas morning, instead of Christmas Eve, which is the tradition here. Of course, it was all about the kids. Noah and Ella could not have been more excited to open their presents and tore through them pretty quick.

We were schedule to go the the Tweedy's house (one of the other american families here) for dinner, but my gimp knee kept me from getting out of the house. They were gracious enough to come to our apartment, along with another young family here who could not travel to see their families this Christmas. We finally got our Turkey! We were able to get ahold of two turkey's for Christmas dinner and it was well worth the wait. We had to get two, becuase they were only about 6 pounds each. I have never seen a turkey so small. It still tasted like Turkay and that was good enough for me. The biggest treat however was finding cranberries! We found a supermarket that had temporarily set up an international fruit section and they had packages of Ocean Spray cranberries. It was almost like being home.

However, no matter how good the turkey and cranberry sauce was, we were not able to share it with our family. This was the first Christmas that we have celebrated apart from our families and it was definitely strange. Stacey's parents came for a visit at the beginning of December and that certainly helped, but it still was different. It really made my heart go out to those who were apart from their families this Christmas, under much worse circumstances than ours. We have friends in Iraq that were not able to spend Christmas with their families, and friends in prison who cannot share a meal with their family. We truly are blessed to be doing what we are doing and still see our family a couple of times a year. It's a small price to pay and we wouldn't trade it for the world.

New Year's is celebrated in the same way that we are used to. Staying up late and a new year marked with firework's. We were able to watch a great display from our living room window. I attempted to wake up Noah to watch them and he informed me, "I've seen fireworks before, I want to go back to sleep". We stayed in to ring in the new year. It was strange to not be able to watch the ball drop in Time's Square, but it also would have happened at 6:00am our time. I would not have gotten up to see it even if it was on TV.

Here are some pictures from our Christmas.

Some wrapping paper is about to fly!

Let's go rodling!

Budding young architect with his newest creation

Barbie was a big hit this year for Ella

Aaron's First Time Snowboarding (And Maybe Last)

2006-01-03T11:20:00.000-06:00

I had been looking forward to this for months, my first time snowboarding! I had been bargain hunting for weeks, amassing all the gear I would need and now I was finally going. Finney, one of the students here in the ministry took me to a beautiful and budget priced run, away from all the tourists. It had snowed recently, so we knew we would have good snow for my first time. I have been skiing 4 times, the last one being about 10 years ago, but I did pretty well at that. How much harder could snowboarding be?

Well, I don't know if it was any harder, but it was very different. I takes a while to get used to the fact that both of your feet are locked to a board. At least with skiing, you have separate control of your legs. I seemed be doing really well. I had gotten the basic feel for it, had pretty good balance and had done pretty well on a couple of turns. After about 45 minutes, I told Finney that he could go ahead down the mountain (He was on skis) and I would just work my way down the run, working on the things that he had taught me. He went ahead and I started down. Things were going well for about 15 minutes, when I got my board pointed straight downhill and started to rapidly pick up speed. When I tried to turn out of it, the front of my board caught the snow. All I could think of was a piece of advice that Finney had given me: "Always fall on your back, whatever you do, don't fall forward". TOO LATE! When the front of my board caught the snow, I was hurled through the air, head over heels. As best as I can recall, I did 3 somersaults. On the last one, the board stuck in the snow while my body continue to twist forward. I felt a sharp pain in my left knee. I knew that couldn't be good. I laid there for probably 3-5 minutes, contemplating my next move, then I finally got up. As I said before, Finney had already gone ahead and there was literally no one else on the slopes. I picked up my board and started to walk the rest of the way down, about 1/4 mile, to the lifts. I met Finney down there and had some lunch while he continued to ski. I had know idea how bad the injury was. It was not excruciating, but I definitely could not continue to snowboard. I hadn't even made it one time down the slope!

Throughout the afternoon and evening, the pain continued to get worse, to the point that I had to put almost all of my weight onto Stacey to go to the bathroom. The next morning, I went to the emergency room and was diagnosed with a ruptured ACL and MCL. They could not tell at the time whether or not I would need surgery. They gave me a knee brace and some pain pills and a follow up appointment for two weeks. That appointment is tomorrow, Jan. 4. I have been doing pretty well the last 2 weeks, it has definitely slowed me down. The pain has not been too bad, I haven't used any pain pills since the first day. And, that's not because I am a tough guy, it's just not really that bad. It has given me some time to read and catch up on some non-physical work, which is a good thing. Probably the worst things at this point are the itching caused by the tight brace and the daily injections that I have to give myself of blood thinner. This may be harder on Stacey than it is on me, my contribution around the house has definitely been less the last two weeks. She could definitely use your prayers as well. God is faithful and I know this will all turn out for His glory. Pray with me that God heals my knee and that surgery will not be necessary. Enjoy the pictures from my fun day!

Tearin' up the slopes

I'm flyin' now

Here's what I was doing when I hurt myself (yeah right)

Finney and I in the lodge

A Mountain Adventure

2005-12-19T09:02:00.000-06:00

What we call "sledding" in America, is called "Rodling" here in Austria. And believe me, it is quite a different experience. I went Rodling for my first time Friday night. This is what we did for the our Christmas party with the leadership team of the church. First of all, the Rodl is very different from the sleds we are used to (see the picture below). You sit on the top, or lay down if you want to go faster and steer with your feet. It takes a while to get used to it, but it's a blast when you do. Secondly, a major part of this experience is walking up the mountain, in the snow, pulling your sled. I find it amazing that an entire culture thinks that this is fun. When we walked up on Friday, it was snowing, with already a good 2 feet of snow on the ground. You usually hike up about 3km (about 1.9 miles). At the top of the mountain there is a restaurant with amazing food, fireplace and a great view. You then slide down all the way to the bottom. That is the fun part. That is what is supposed to happen.

Now for my experience. The plan was for us to take a ski lift 3km up the mountain and then walk the remaining 3km tot the top. When we got there, we found out that we had missed the lift and we would have to walk the entire 6km. The locals didn't even hesitate because they have been doing this all their lives. I on the other hand am not used to doing this, nor am I in the kind of shape that I would like to be. After about 15 minutes of walking, I am having serious doubts about whether I am going to make it to the top. Then it happened. Like manna in the wilderness, a taxi passes us on the road! We flag him down and pay him to take us to where the lift would have dropped us off. This was definitely a good thing for me! So we continue on up the mountain. It may have been the most miserable time of my life. We arrived at the top and I felt like I was going to die. I was dehydrated and my legs were cramping severely. We get to the lodge and I could not eat because I was so nauseous. I will spare you some the graphic details, just know that it was not fun. We then start to head down the mountain we realized that it had snowed so much that the rodl just sunk into the ground when we sat on it. We were able to sled down about half and had to walk the other half. I have never been so happy to go home and get into bed! In retrospect, most of this misery could have been avoided. Not realizing how intense and exerting it was going to be, I had not eaten or drank anything since breakfast and we started climbing at about 6pm. Next time I will be more prepared. Enjoy the pictures from my adventure!

Here is a typical Rodl

Our taxi sent from heaven

Me recovering in the Lodge

Having some fun on the way down

Happy Birthday Aaron

2005-12-19T08:27:00.000-06:00

Aaron celebrated his 33rd birthday on December 15th. Because Aaron loves to cook, but does not get a chance to do it as often as he would like, he chose to cook dinner on his birthday. Not the kind of birthday that most people would choose, but he enjoys it. He also had a went to visit a castle that he had been wanting to tour since we moved here. Schloss Ambras is a stunning piece of architecture built in 1228. It was remodeled between 1528-1556 by Archduke Ferdinand II of the Hapsburg family. He filled it with a massive collection of armor, weapons and art. We won't bore you will all the history and details, but it really is amazing to live in a place where you can see and touch a part of history that we do not have a chance to see in the US. Here are some pictures Aaron took.

The castle grounds are beautiful in the snow

One of many armor displays

The stunning Spanish Hall

VERY DIFFERENT, BUT STILL CHRISTMAS

2005-12-12T03:50:00.000-06:00

This being our first Christmas outside of the U.S. we really didn't know what to expect. Needless to say, things are very different here. Most of the Christmas traditions that we enjoy in America are not enjoyed be our fellow Austrians. But, we have also learned some new traditions that have quite fun. We are doing our best to balance the two. I thought I would give you some examples of the differences we are encountering in how this culture celebrates Christmas vs. an American Christmas.

St. Nicholas Day and Krampus
December 6th marks the beginning of the Christmas season, with St. Nicholas Day. St. Nick is similar to our Santa Claus, wearing a read suit with a white beard. There is more religious symbolism here as he wears a red Bishop's hat and carries a staff. On the eve of St. Nicholas Day, children place a stocking and a plate outside their door. St. Nicholas then comes and give the good children candy and cookies. (there is a picture below of Noah and his St. Nicholas hat he made at school) St. Nicholas symbolizes good, while his counterpart, Krampus, symbolizes the devil. Children who were not good then receive lumps of coal from Krampus in their stockings. This is the big day for St. Nick and then he is done with. He is not in the malls and he does not deliver the presents that are opened on Christmas Eve. Ok, we all have heard of that, but here is the disturbing part. People dress up as Krampus and roam the streets looking for bad children to take to hell. They are dressed in these huge, hairy suits, with masks and horns. They carry chains to tie up the children and take them away. We did not leave the house that day because we did not want our kids to be terrified and have nightmares! I was in the grocery store that evening and one of these demon looking creatures came running through the store, growling and shaking his chains. Very strange. There is a picture at the bottom of what they look like. This is definitely a tradition that we will not miss.

Christmas Markets
One of the most exciting traditions that we have here is the Christmas Market, called the "Christkindelmarkt", meaning "Christ Child Market". The one here in Innsbruck is in the old part of down, by the Golden Roof. There are about 60 booths set up, with everything from home made crafts, bratwurst, cakes, spiced wine and anything else christmassy. They also have horse carriage rides and entertainment throughout the season. It is open from Nov. 23-Dec. 28, closed on Christmas Day. There is a picture at the bottom.

Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is really the big day here, not Christmas Day. The 25th is still a national holiday and everyone is off work, but the big family stuff happens on the 24th. They wait to set up their trees until Christmas Eve. Needless to say, that was a shock for us. We are used to putting ours up the weekend after Thanksgiving. Because they put theirs up so late, they are not selling live trees until mid December, so we had to buy a fake tree. We have never been big fans of fake trees, but we are happy to have this one rather than nothing. Their Christmas Eve festivities include trimming the tree and then opening all the presents. Christmas day is a day to spend with family, eating a big meal.

Music and Movies
A few of the traditional Christmas songs that we sing in America are also sung here, "silent night", "angels we have heard on high", and "hark, the herald angels sing." that's about it, all the other songs that they sing this time of year, we have never heard before. And believe it or not, they have never heard, "Grandma got run over by a reindeer"! What a deprived people. The same goes for the movies. They have German language versions of "Christmas Vacation" and "it's a wonderful life", but no frosty, Rudolph, Charlie brown, Grinch or any of the other Christmas specials that we are used to seeing.

All those differences aside, we still share the only thing that matters - Christ came into the world to save us all. That's all we really need to share. Think of us while you are watching "A Christmas Story", sipping Egg Nog and singing "Frosty the Snowman". We will be thinking of you.

Our First Snow

2005-11-25T03:03:00.000-06:00

Wow, just when I thought that Innsbruck could not get any more beautiful, it snows. We had our first snow of the season this week. We woke up Monday morning to snow covering everything! It continued to snow nonstop for the whole day, leaving us with about 9 or 10 inches of accumulation. Noah was so excited that after school I took him out to build a snowman. They say that this is pretty early in the season to get this much snow. I have heard that this winter might be pretty bad. We will see. One of the students at the church here is going to teach me how to snowboard, so look out for pictures of that in the future. Hopefully, none of them will be of me in a full body cast!

Driving adventures......Because there is snow much snow here and so much mountain driving, you are required to have a set of summer tires and a set of winter tires. I, like many people were caught off guard by the storm and still had my summer tires on. We were taking Seth to his first doctor's appointment Monday morning and were not even able to make it down the mountain. I had no control at all. We were just fishtailing down the mountain, when by the grace of God, I was able to pull into a driveway. We turned around and went home. We had our snow tires put on yesterday, so we are ready. Bring on the snow!

There are a few pictures. One of Noah and his snowman, the first snow and a gratuitous picture of Seth who is almost 3 weeks old now! Enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2005-11-25T02:46:00.000-06:00

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving with friends and family, and all your favorite foods! Our first Thanksgiving in Austria was very different, but still great. It was definitely weird not being able to celebrate it with any of our family, but we did have good friends to share it with. We also missed almost all of our favorite foods because we could not find the ingredients here to make them. No turkey or cranberry sauce, but we did have some wonderful substitutes. They do not sell whole turkey's in any store here, but we found out that you could order one, but it was too late to get it here in time. I actually was not able to make it to the party because I have been the last couple of weeks. And, those who know me understand that I would have to be feeling pretty bad to miss out on Thanksgiving. I am feeling much better today and ready to dive into some leftovers. We are having some of our Austrian friends over on Sunday, so we will give this another try. We are on a desperate search today for canned pumpkin. Pray for us!

Food difficulties aside, we have so many things to be thankful for that they would be hard to list. We feel extremely blessed to be doing what we are doing and even more blessed to have friends like you. Enjoy your turkey sandwiches!

Seth Has Arrived!

2005-11-12T13:22:00.000-06:00

Well, here it is, our most exciting update so far. Seth has arrived! And a week early. We could not be more excited with how smoothly things went. This is our only update this week, so please indulge me as it will probably be longer than usual and with more pictures.

Vitals:

Name: Seth Daniel Drake
Day: Sunday, November 6, 2005
Time: 3:25pm (Central European Time).
Weight: 3,100 grams (about 6 lbs 13oz)
Length: 50cm (about 19 in.)
Hair: Brown
Looks like: You decide

Story:

Stacey's water started to leak Saturday night, but with no contractions. Sunday morning we went to the hospital about 10am, still no contractions. The doctor confirmed that it definitely was her water and they wanted to induce to deliver within 24 hours to reduce the risk of infection to Seth. They finished administering the induction drugs at 2:30, at which time Stacey started to feel mild contractions. The nurse then told us to go back to our room and that she would check in with us at 6pm to see how she was progressing. 45 minutes later, her contractions had quickly escalated and were only about 2 minutes apart and she was feeling the urge to push. I paged the nurse and we got her to the delivery room. Two large contractions later and Seth was born. She had not even been on the bed 5 minutes! The nurse delivered the baby because they had no time to get the doctor. We had been told that our third would come quicker than the first two, but we had no idea it would be this quick. Someone has already suggested that for our next child, we should just pitch a tent next to the hospital. I figured I would just deliver it myself, although Stacey might have some objections to that. I brought Stacey and Seth home from the hospital on Tuesday and they have been doing great since. Noah and Ella are very excited and wanting to tough him all the time.

While there were some things that they do differently here in Austria, we were so blessed with how smoothly things went. Although the nurses on duty did not speak much English, our German was enough to get by. There were no miscommunications! That is a miracle in itself, seeing as how I can't even buy donuts here without there being some kind of miscommunication. Our birthing experience here in Austria was definitely a pleasant one. Thank you all for your prayers, they were answered! Enjoy the pictures, I'm sure there will be many more to follow.

City Wide Conference

2005-11-04T09:59:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, our church here in Innsbruck hosted a city wide conference. Theme was "Intimacy with God" and we have about 250 people attend from the area. We were really happy about the turnout because it pulled together many Christians from around Tirol. One of our featured speakers was the assistant to the Cardinal of Vienna. God has really developed a strong relationship between he and our Pastor, both of whom have a strong desire to build unity between the Catholic and Protestant churches in Europe. Some amazing things are happening here in Austria in that arena.

I lead worship for the 3 day conference and had a great time. I was constantly checking my phone to make sure Stacey wasn't going into labor! Fortunately, she didn't. Here are some pictures of me leading worship.

Getting Closer!

2005-11-04T09:45:00.000-06:00

Some of you have asked to see pictures of Stacey and her belly. Well, here it is! We are getting very excited as the time draws closer for us to meet Seth. We thought that time might have been a couple of weeks ago when the doctor sent us to the hospital after one of Stacey's routine visits. She was concerned that Seth's heartbeat was very erratic. As high as 170 bpm and as low as 100 during a 30 minute monitoring. She was concerned that he was in some type of distress, so they sent us to the hospital for further monitoring, with the possibility of induction if they thought things were not ok. We quickly packed, got a babysitter and headed to the hospital. after 1.5 hours of monitoring, they said everything was ok and sent us home. We were relieved because we want Seth to be full term and healthy, but also a little disappointed that we didn't get to meet him that night. Things have been fine since then and Stacey is progressing normally on on track for her due date a week from Monday. At least we got our bags packed!

Happy Birthday Ella!

2005-10-28T16:13:00.000-05:00

Ella turned 2 on October 20. Wow! Time flies when your having fun! We had two parties for her. One at home and then one with another little boy here whose birthday was one week later. She had a great time blowing out candles and eating her cake. Her favorite presents were a camera and a baby. She even covers up her baby at night and tucks her in. She is talking all the time and learning new words every day (English and German). Her favorite phrase right now is, "Noah, I told you not to do that." Yes, he drives her crazy!

Trip To Nürnberg

2005-10-28T15:49:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, I had the priviledge to minister in Nürnberg. Nürnberg is a city with a rich history, many ups and many downs. We have a small church there and just planted a Campus Ministry in May. In one of the pictures, you will see Lenny interpreting for me as I spoke on Sunday morning. Lenny us just 20 years old, but leading the Campus Minstry in Nürnberg. He is full of faith and passion to reach the young people of his city. One of my main jobs was to encourage Lenny and his team and begin training them how to reach their fellow students at the University.

God is beginning to bring young people to the ministry that have the same passion for reaching the lost. One of those young men is pictured with me, his name is Mario. Mario is a professional basketball player in Nürnberg, and although he is only 5' 10", he can dunk a basketball, which is something I can only do in my dreams. It was great to get to know him over dinner Sunday night and talk about how God will use his influence on young people to bring them into His Kingdom. We look forward to seeing what God will do as he allows God to work in his life.

While Nürnberg has deep past tied to Hitler and the Nazi party, it was also one of the first churches to adopt Luther's creed and reformation. Pray and believe with us that the city will return to it's roots and be the site of a second reformation that turns the heart of Europe back to God.

Noah Is Doing Much Better

2005-10-28T15:41:00.000-05:00

I got several responses to our post about Noah having a hard time fitting in at Kindergarten. Many of your hearts were breaking just as ours were. Well, we are thrilled to report that he is doing much better and now looks forward to going to school every day. His German is coming slowly, but he has made a few friends and is excited about making more. He learned how to say, "My name is Noah, what is your name?" and that has helped a lot. He has learned a couple of German songs that hey sing in class and he loves that. He has been sick most of this week and has had to stay home from school. He has been devastated each morning when we tell him he still has a fever and he can't go today. He is feeling much better and excited about returning on Monday. I am constantly amazed at the toughness of kids. Thank you for your prayers.

Naoh Started Kindergarten

2005-10-10T08:33:00.000-05:00

Noah wrapped up his first week of kindergarten here in Innsbruck. I don't think he could have possibly been more excited than he was on his first day. There is a great school just a few blocks from our apartment here in Igls that we can walk to and from. Armed with his "Bob The Builder" backpack and his snack, he set off for his first day at school. I missed it becuase I was meeting a guy to buy a car that he didn't have anymore (see post about car). Stacey of course was a basket case after she left, crying all the way home. I think that's par for the course for a pregnant mom, though.

I think pure excitement carried him through the first two days and then reality set in. Noah does not speak German and none of the kids in his class speaks English. His teachers speak a little, but not much. As a result, Noah is having a difficult time integrating into the group. Almost every morning now he says he does not want to go. When I pick him up, he is usually playing by himself. the teacher says to give it about 3 weeks for him to fit in. I hope we can make it that long. As a parent, your heart breaks to see your child feel lonely and excluded, but we know that this phase will pass and it will be a great learning experience for him.

It's times like this that we realize how much our children are affected by the lifestyle we live as missionaries. While we know that God has called us here to Austria, we also want to give our children as "normal" of a life as we can. We have to believe that God cares for our kids even more than we do and He would not have brought us here if he didn't intend to take care of them and provide them with everything they need. We also know that our kids are going to live an exciting life that most kids would only dream of. Please pray for Noah that he would quickly fit into the group and that kids would start reaching out to him to include him in things. Also pray for his german to progress quickly so he can interact. Be blessed!

We Finally Have A Car!

2005-10-10T05:25:00.000-05:00

One of our priorities while we were in the States was to raise the necessary funds for us to buy a car. Since we arrived in March, we have been borrowing a car from a very generous young man in the church named Felix. However, we knew that with the coming of Seth that we would have to buy a car big enough to accomodate 3 child seats. After 3 weeks of searching and a couple of setbacks (I showed up with cash in hand to buy a car only to find out that the guy sold it without calling me), God finally led us to a great car.

It is a Renault Megane Scenic with 117,000 KM. It is a 1.9 Deisel, which gives us great gas mileage, about 45 MPG. It has 3 individual seats in the back to give the kids plenty of room, but they also can be folded down or removed when necessary. A/C, trailer hitch, and a 6 disc cd changer make this a great car for us.

We would not have been able to buy this car without the help of our generous partners. Thank You!

Welcome!

2005-10-09T14:44:00.000-05:00

Welcome to our blog! This is a great way for us to stay connected with you and keep you up to date on what we are doing here in Europe. For all of our partners on our email list, we will send you an email with a link to this site as we update weekly. Updates will include family information and pictures as well as what God is doing through our ministry. We are excited to offer a way to get you more information without clogging your email with pictures. We would love to hear from you. Talk to you soon!