Down to the O-town

Today we went down south of Vienna to the Oasis. The Oasis is the place Chris worked a few years ago with International Teams. He spent two years helping out refugees who came to Vienna for many reasons from all over the world. I spent a summer doing the same thing, which is how we met. Anyway...

Today we went down there to help with a program they do called Clothing Room. It's basically where refugees come and take a number. While they're waiting for their number to be called, they are served free coffee and tea, and they have the chance to just talk to people. When their numbers are called, they go back to the closet called the clothing room, and they may choose four or five pieces of clothing that has been donated by churches in the U.S., Austrians, and others. After they leave the clothing room, they are given some small goodies that differ each week. Today it was coffee, a chocolate bar, and a small travel bar of soap. They also received some literature about God in their own language. Whew! It's an all day process, but definitely worth it. Often, refugees don't understand why someone would ever give them anything for free. It sparks questions and relationships. That's cool.

So today we helped out. I passed out the coffee, chocolate, and soap, and literature. Chris talked to many African men out on the front porch, and some of the time he helped the men choose clothing appropriate for them. Today was men's day for the clothing room. If I tried to talk to the men, they usually wanted my phone number and asked for a ticket home with me to the U.S. Perfect! I'm not interested. So, I kept my conversations with those guys short.

It's great to be able to help out with a ministry that we don't do every day. It gives the people who do it every day a break. We're happy to help:).