by Dale Reeves

Story Pastor

 

This past week, I’ve gotten to experience a delectable sampling of some foods from several countries in Eastern Europe. Our lead pastor, Brad Wilson, our executive pastor, Alan Baumlein, our CCMusic director, Jeremy Braley, and I traveled to TCMI, an international institute that develops Christian leaders for service in God’s kingdom through higher learning. Located in Heiligenkreuz, Austria, in the picturesque Vienna Woods, this training ground for men and women in ministry draws students from many Eastern European countries, as well as some from Asia—all together they come from 49 different countries. The Haus Edelweiss property was purchased for ministry in 1972, though the Haus had been in use for many years before that, including a private residence, a hotel, retirement home, and headquarters for Soviet troops a few years after World War II.

 

We spent four and a half days there, experiencing a bit of Heaven with disciples of Jesus from sixteen different countries. The flags from each of the countries that are represented each particular session are proudly displayed in the hallway just outside of the main dining room.

 

While we were there, we got to experience some amazing foods from Austria, as we dined on pork schnitzel in Vienna’s historic city center (Ringstrasse), as well as some great food in a little town not far from Haus Edelweiss, including some decadent desserts. Brad enjoyed some apple strudel at a stift (monastery) just a short walk through the woods from the Haus.

 

Many Countries, Many Foods

Each session when the students arrive for a class from countries in Europe and Asia, the cook at the Haus plans out his menus, based on what countries the students are arriving from. This year, our cook for the week was named Zoli Tomasovszky, who is from the country of Hungary. This was my second trip to Haus Edelweiss, and on my first work trip, I was assigned to work in the kitchen, and my wife worked in guest services (housekeeping, serving at tables, etc.). Having worked in the kitchen before, I introduced myself to Zoli the first full day we were there. I began to talk about some of the foods I had enjoyed in Austria several years before. As I pulled out my phone, I showed him a picture of the goulash I had eaten across the street from the Vienna Opera House, telling him how much I loved it. He immediately shook his head as if to say, “NO—that is not Hungarian goulash!” Then he told me he would be serving his recipe later in the week.

 

As Zoli and I chatted a bit each day, he asked me how long our group from Mason would be there, and I told him we were heading to Poland on Tuesday morning. He said, “Oh, we are having goulash Tuesday night, and you will miss it!” I said, “No problem! I bet it is very good!”

 

Don’t Be Late for Dinner

When the whole group of students, staff, and short-term workers gathered for the worship experience on Sunday morning, the students from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan led us in worship music and a meaningful time of celebrating communion together—all spoken in Russian and English. Then, Brad brought the message to all of us from Acts 1 and Matthew 5 from God’s Word, challenging everyone to be salt and light in the countries and ministries to which God had called each of us.

 

Then, after a group photo and a great Sunday lunch, with a glimmer in his eyes Zoli found me, and said, “I have good news! I have switched the menu around for you and we will be serving my goulash on Monday evening!” I was humbled that he would do that for me, and I thanked him and told I him I would come hungry!

 

After touring all day in Vienna on Monday, Christian Witzmann, (vice president of international operations at TCMI) picked us up at the Schonbrunn Palace, once an imperial residence in Vienna, and drove us back to Haus Edelweiss. We stopped on the way to enjoy some ice cream together . . . and then made it back just in time for dinner.

 

Warmed and Well-Fed

That evening, I dined with a short-term worker from Christ’s Church of the Valley in Phoenix, Arizona, and his wife, as well as several students from Kazakhstan. We all enjoyed the meal very much. The goulash reminded me of my childhood when on Sundays after church my mom served our family roast, potatoes, and carrots. Zoli uses quite a bit of paprika in his “beef stew,” which is very common in Hungarian goulash. After I finished my first bowl of his soup, he came out from the kitchen to our table and asked if we needed more. Of course I said yes, and my comrades from Kazakhstan also shook their heads.

 

And, even though we had eaten well in Vienna, and enjoyed ice cream on the way home, I had to make some room for a second bowl of soup. It’s a tough life at Haus Edelweiss! Needless to say, I was full and satisfied, and slept very well Monday night.

 

Polskie Jedzenie

The next morning, the four of us from Mason headed out to the airport to fly to Poland, where we are spending a little more than four days with our mission partner Proem Ministries. Many of you heard pastor Rafal Piekarski preach this past summer when Brad was on sabbatical. Proem ministers through camps for kids, biblically-based Christian education and care through their school, church planting, and community help initiatives.

 

On our short flight on Austrian Airlines from Vienna to Krakow, Poland, we enjoyed a few gold-foil-wrapped “Mozart” chocolates. Rafal and his colleague Daniel Wawrzyniak picked us up at the airport and for the next day led us to partake of some amazing Polish cuisine that included breaded pork chops, baked trout, pierogi, pork goulash, potato pancakes, soups, and breads. We fellowshiped with our Christian brothers in Europe and feasted together on our way to their 15-acre Christian Center located in Zakościele.

 

Can I ask you a few questions?

—Are you hungry yet?

—When was the last time you were able to enjoy some delicious food from another country?

—What are you consuming these days in addition to the food you eat?

—Are you consuming the Word of God more than the physical food you eat?

 

God’s Word tells us, The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:9, 10, NIV).

 

The Word of God tells me that what we are experiencing on our mission trip in Europe is but a foretaste of the wedding feast of the lamb. The apostle John writes, “‘Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.’

For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people. And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb’” (Revelation 19:6-9, NLT).

 

I can’t wait for the day when, as John writes, I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9, NLT). It will be an eternal gathering at the table of all the saints from many nations through all the ages who have declared Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And if you think chocolates in Europe and tasty dishes from around the world are to die for, can you imagine what kind of feast awaits us at the throne of our eternal God!?!

 

Until that day arrives, may we continue to walk in his sweet presence and partake of the goodness he offers us, as King David said, Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8, NLT).