I’d rather drive far and work long hours in difficult conditions than to ask for help. Which is what I have done the last 8 years, that’s why you don’t hear from me often. But with this project, we need help. So see it as an opportunity, if you would like to help. God bless.matched bet

Wildman’s Summer 2019
Greetings from Austria. Just wanted to thank all of our partners and friends for all of your prayers and fiancial support. Thank you for making this trip possible, after four years, we are able to come home this summer to visit family, friends, and get refreshed.

I believe God has a global vision for his body – the church. He doesn’t see countries separated by borders and politics, he doesn’t see denominations separated by traditions and rituals. I keep telling my wife one day I want a globe with no countries or borders marked on it; to see the world how God sees it.

God literally has a global vision, he sees and loves people everywhere. And he has his arms stretched out to embrace people everywhere, that come to him. The bible says that God “has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ”. All it takes is for people to hear that God is not mad at them, but wants to be their loving Father.

This is why I came to Austria, to share the gospel, and this is why I’m going to stay, although it is tough right now – to be away from family, to have nowhere to call home, to start a household again from scratch. But it’s a small price to pay for what’s ahead.

I will post another update soon, hopefully with pictures of the church, and more information about what exactly we’re doing. For now, these are my thoughts on a rainy european summer afternoon.

We’re still looking for several churches, that would like to support us monthly for the first 1-3 years. You can get all the info on the “support” page, or send me a message on facebook.

God bless, steve

(photo taken on flight from Houston-Istanbul. Quote by John R.W. Stott)

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If you’ve been wondering why we left Rhema, and what we’re up to, please watch this short video. We do need support, so if you have it on your heart for you or for your church to help, let us know!

In America, “mother road” is a term used for Route 66 – originally connecting Chicago with Santa Monica, CA. I find the importance of roadways to progress, human development and our lives in general quite fascinating.

I have my own “mother road”, I must admit, a stretch of Autobahn running north-south across the Austrian Alps. Many years ago, at 8 a.m. every Sunday morning come rain, snow or shine my parents would load us four kids into the back of a Volvo 740 Diesel, and set off on that very road. It was an hour-and-a-half drive to the church my Dad supported, an hour-and-a-half of making memories, listening to music, watching the scenery go by.

Even to this day, when I travel that stretch of Austrian Autobahn every curve, every bridge, every tunnel has a comforting familiarity that makes the 11Euros toll worth every cent. At its highest point, there is a breathtaking view of the approaching mountainside, and every time I pass by there I just have to take a picture. My dear wife once asked me not to, so as not to endanger our kids in the back of the car. I ignored her. Which I usually don’t do. And although it seems insignificant, that moment has become my favorite memory of traveling my “mother road”.

International travel has its challenges – flying to Europe, you “lose” a night. Seems like it used to be easier for me to sleep on a plane, digest time changes, put up with tough conditions. I’d like to blame my age, but I think I’ve lost some of the excitement, some of my love for the travel experience.
I used to loooove to fly places, so that’s where my attention was. Nowadays I focus on myself more, on how I’m tired, the seat is uncomfortable and my back hurts. Which it probably did twenty years ago, I just didn’t notice as much.
Which reminds me of the christian experience. In Revelations, John writes to the church in Ephesus: “I have this against you: You have departed from your first love!” We tend to slip into a state where we don’t focus on Jesus, and what HE has done for us, but consider our own shortcomings. How we’re tired, the seat is uncomfortable, and our back hurts. Which it probably did 20 years ago, but we didn’t notice because our hearts were full of what HE has done for us.
I’m making an effort to remind myself. I’m coming back to my first love. My next flight will go so much better 🙂