VIENNA. I marveled.

This last weekend I went to Vienna, and I marveled. On top of marveling at the incredible city and architecture of Vienna, the cultural and music capital of the world, I marveled at the passion of my travel companions. I marveled at the power of music. And I marveled at the love of humanity across language barriers.

Let me tell you about my travel companions:

Kelsey, Katherine, Aileen-- respectively

Aileen is honestly, to-the-core, beautiful. She has a great sense of direction, and a very useful talent for reading maps. She loves laughing, and learning, and has a light that just emanates love.

Aileen has a passion for horseback riding. I loved hearing about dressage and the Spanish Riding School. The way she talked about the partnership between a rider and his horse, gave me such new insight. I really never thought about it twice before, but through Aileen’s eyes, I found an appreciation for horses and riding in a completely new way.

Kelsey is hilarious. She is just wicked funny. She would send me side glances, just a subtle flick of a grin in my direction, and I would be rolling with laughter. This would happen ALL THE TIME. She is so clever, and light-hearted, and makes any annoying situation so much better.

I marveled at Kelsey’s passion for modern art. We went to this old church, built in the 1920s, that was bulky and blocky and didn’t look much like a church. When we first drove up to it. I thought, “meh.” But I had the fortune of walking around the building listening to Kelsey explain why it was so cool to her. The way she marveled at the architecture, the symbolism, the effects of a modern grounded world mixed with the light and freedom of religion, made me marvel at it too. We went to a modern art museum. And I followed Kelsey around, listening to her explore the importance of a painting that wasn’t just a representation. That unlike a landscape, or a portrait, this artist’s picture, we could never have seen on our own, because it was an abstract image in his imagination. I’ve never gotten modern art, but through Kelsey’s passionate perspective, I caught a glimpse of why people appreciate it.

Katherine is the most mild and kind person; she is incredibly loving. She has a sweet maternal way about her. And she is honestly the most selfless woman I’ve ever met.

Katherine had an incredible passion for Austria, for the people, the city and the language. I have always thought German was a horribly ugly language, but hearing it out of Katherine’s mouth it was quite poetic. It was fascinating and really beautiful. I had the best time going around Vienna listening to her talk about the buildings, and the history. When she’d point out the best gelato shops, or street corners where she met lovely people and/or talked about the gospel, I couldn’t help but smile!

We got lost frequently, we were tired all the time, and we missed trains, and went without food and got stuck in very difficult and/or incredibly annoying situations. But because of these marvelous people, there was not a moment I regret. They turned our misfortunes into memories. And I loved learning from them.

On our way from Bratislava to Vienna, we stopped for Lunch. An elderly couple from Katherine’s mission made us the best meatloaf concoction I’ve ever experienced, plus chocolate mouse, ice cream and berries for dessert! This couple, Brother and Sister B, spoke very little English, and I speak absolutely no German. I marveled at the love that this couple had for us; we were strangers in their home, strangers to their country, and to their language, and they took us in for the afternoon, and took care of us like we were their own children. I saw a German hymn book on the piano, and requested that we sing a hymn or two; music we all had in common. The piano was out of tune, we were all singing in different keys, and half of us were singing in German and the other half in English. Even though we probably sounded awful, there was a sense of familiarity, of peace. Music is so powerful in bringing people together, we understood the meaning of the words and notes we were singing, across the borders of language. Then we hugged, and said “danke schoen” about a hundred times, and went on our way.

Sister B gave a talk in church the next day. And while I could not understand it, obviously it was in German, I could feel her sweet presence, and the spirit of her words. Katherine translated to us after. Sister B had said something to the effect of this: she and her husband had just moved into their new apartment, after having lived in their other house for over 30 years. They were having trouble finding friendly neighbors, and adjusting. Then she talked about the four girls who came to visit them. She said when we sang Hymns, she felt like a little piece of home. That she was grateful to the Lord for sending us to them. I was so moved. I marveled at the fact that we were so incredibly grateful for their kindness, and here Sister B was, thanking God for us.

Even though we couldn’t understand one another, there was just a distinct mutual feeling of adoration and care for our new friends. We loved them, and they loved us. When we left, Sister B said in broken English, “I wish, with all my heart, happiness and

joy for you in your life.” I was moved near tears.

Thank you, Katherine, Kelsey, and Aileen. I could not have asked for a more MARVELOUS trip.