Video Update May 2014

Ecksfiles Video Update May 2014 from Matt Eck on Vimeo.

Ecks' Files Video Update October 2013

Ecks' Files Video Update October 2013 from Matt Eck on Vimeo.

Our Week in Pictures (Mar.10th-Mar. 16th 2013)

A few random pictures this week...this is the central station in Veinna (Wien Mitte)

And this is our subway station...as you can see it's gotten colder this week.

We ended the week on a high note with our BTCP class meeting at our apartment for a concetraited weekend of class.

If you would like to see all of our pictures like our Facebook page (top right hand box), follow our twitter feed, or follow us on Instagram (texmeck).

Regional Possiblities

Find Vienna on a map and draw an imaginary line north to south through the middle of the city. Now look to the right of the line and what do you see? Eastern Europe as far as the eye can see. It's easy to understand how Austria or Österreich, which literally translated means Eastern Kingdom, got it's name. Considering this there the hope that our team here and in Romania might not only have local but also a regional impact.

In the fall I had the opportunity of visiting some Bible Training Center for Pastors (BTCP) students in Romania. Denton Bible Church has been training pastors there for the last 15 years and the courses continue to bear much fruit in the life of the church there. In an effort to further their training, several of the top students have come in for extra courses that go deeper than the general material. In October, my new field director, Tim Ford, and I attended the course where we both lead devotionals before the lectures. After that we were invited to travel to Moldova, a small neighboring country to help open up a brand new BTCP there. Moldavian culture is heavily influenced by both Romania and Russia, so it was a little bit like going back to Russia for me.  One of the Romanian pastors that Denton Bible has trained has started the course so it is amazing to see how the course is not only multiplying, but being taken into other countries. It was a real honor to be there and help start the first class. I’ve been told that the students enjoyed having us there and I have been invited back.

This has given me a glimpse into the possibilities of our team having not only a local but global impact. Pray with us as we make steps to see where God might lead us in this endeavor.

to see more pictures of the Moldova trip be sure and like our Ecksfiles page on Facebook

African Believers

One of Matt’s Nigerian students has had some trouble lately with his residency. He is an asylum seeker and had received a negative judgment on his case. The judge wants him to go back to Nigeria, but his lawyer says that he still has a chance to stay. If you think about it please be in prayer for ND. African immigrants are not very welcome here and there are many negative stereotypes about them, but there are many who come here who are evangelical Christians. Sunday mornings, without fail, we see Africans on the subway, dressed up with Bibles in their hands. God just may bring the gospel back to Europe, through Africans who received the gospel initially from European missionaries generations before. Pray that, if it is God’s will, good men like ND would be allowed to stay here and help spread God’s word.

Like Family

BTCP weekend class at our apartment.

The thing I like most about Bible Training Center for Pastors (BTCP) is that it is more than just a class. The shortest track is at least 400 hours of class time. When you spend that much time together it's less like a teacher-student relationship and more like a family. We have a couple of traditions that I particularly enjoy. We always start off class with prayer. Often I am tempted to cut this time short, but I am convinced that better work is done during this time than any amount of teaching I can do. Our other tradition...which is a fairly recent addition, is a Friday-Saturday class one weekend every three months. We do this to get in the occasional "sprint" into our learning marathon so that we don't start lagging too far behind.We make something special out of it, opening up our home and having meals together. It's a time of fellowship mixed with teaching and though they are a lot of work for me AND for Liz, we both have come to enjoy them.
I was preparing for our latest weekend class on Thursday when I got a call from one of the students. He had called to inform me that his job did not renew his contract and since his visa was dependent on his work he was likely to have to go home for good. I asked him how he felt and he told me he wasn't sure, yet. I was only the second person that he had called. He seemed to have a peace about moving on, even though he had been here for the last seven years. I think the two things that he most regretted leaving behind was the church that he is pastoring and our class. I was touched by his encouraging words, as I never really knew how much our class time really meant to him.
I don't say this to brag. I say this to say thank you, all of you, who read, pray, and give so that we can be here and share life with the people that God puts in our path. And if you think about it please be in prayer for my friend and the church that he pastors.

Luke 10:1-2 and Outreach in Austria

A Short Update on My Nigerian Friends

I wrote a few months ago about my Nigerian Friend Uche who was in danger of being deported back to Nigeria. I later found out that not only Uche was in danger but also his roommate Moses. You will remember that I had been helping teach Uche to read and Moses was a part of my Bible study. I wanted to let everyone know that Moses and Uche are doing fine now. Moses tells me that he had a close call with the police one day and has since moved out of the house he'd been living in. He also told me that he had the help of a lawer that does pro bono work for refugees and he and Uche are back in the process of getting their residence visas. Uche has since started taking a German class, which is even better for him than me trying to teach him to read in English. Moses has also joined my BTCL class which I started two weeks ago. Keep praying for these guys that they would continue to grow in their knowledge and love of the Lord and that they would be salt and light here in Austria.



A picture of part of my BTCL class with two of my Nigerian friends