A boy came in to the Oasis the other day. He is no more than 10 or 11 years old. He has lots of energy like any other little boy. He’s from Chechnya like many of the families we see on a regular basis at the Oasis. This boy has seen so much before his 12th birthday. You see, in this war torn area, he stepped on a land mine and lost one of his legs. Please pray for this child and his family.

A 16 year old girl is here all alone. She is from Mongolia. She is only still a child. Thankfully there are other Mongolians here to help her out during this time of change. She was very pregnant when she arrived. Her due date was less than a week away. She now has a child of her own. Please pray for her and her child.

There are so many men in the camp. This past men’s clothing day we were able to give clothes out to 180 men. These men were from 16 different countries. They have very little. With the changing seasons they are in need of coats and warm clothes. Many are smaller men from Afghanistan. Clothes their size are hard to come by in Austria. Many are from warmer climates. They aren’t used to the cold Austrian winter. Please pray that we are able to meet the needs of these people.

A Christian couple from Kosovo came to the Oasis over a year ago. They’re about our age. They’ve moved to another town now, but we’ve had the opportunity to get to know them through another teammate. We went to visit them the day after their son was born. Unfortunately, even on a day of celebration they have to be reminded of why they fled. On this day they received another threat from family back home simply because they are Christians. They fear being sent back to Kosovo where they are not safe. Please pray for the three of them as they seek asylum here in Austria.

Another 16 year old is here alone. He is from Kurdistan, a people group in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. They have no real country of our own. He is more likely to say he is from Kurdistan than to say he is from Iraq. He wanted to go to Germany to be with some of his brothers. But he was stopped in Austria and must stay here. He always helped out with cleaning up at the Oasis after events and always did it with a smile. This past week he was transferred into Vienna. Please pray for him and the contacts we were able to connect him with in Vienna.

A couple of weeks ago a girl arrived from Chechnya. She is from Grozny, the main city there, which has been leveled twice since the early 90’s. She is 17, speaks great English, and came alone. This is incredibly unusual. Chechens always come with their families. They are very family oriented. We figured she must have come with extended family or family friends, but when asked about it she simply said, “No, I came alone, there is no one left.” Please pray that she will be reunited with family or friends she may not know are here in Austria.

These are the stories of those we work with. Just a little glimpse of what we see every day. Many are in limbo and don’t know what will happen to them next and where they will be sent. We’re thankful that we can offer them the hope that is in Jesus.  Please remember to pray for these people, and for the many refugees worldwide.

Dan and Regan Update
We have now been in Europe for close to eight months.  There have been many adjustments, not only learning about Austrian culture, food and language, but also learning about the many cultures represented at each Oasis program. We enjoy the work we are doing here and are thankful to have this opportunity to serve. We are looking forward to the arrival of our first child sometime around February 7, 2009.  We found out recently we are having a boy! Please pray for our ministry, that Regan’s pregnancy will continue to go smoothly, and for a healthy baby.