LESSONS FROM AUSTRIA & SLOVAKIA TRIP – PART 1

Me and Tobias woke up at 4:30 am, 
took a 6 am train to Frankfurt Airport,
to catch our 9 am flight to Vienna.
We were fully awake,
everything so far so good,
the day seemed to be starting wonderfully.
Then, once we arrived at Frankfurt airport, 
it switched into a day of full of surprises.

We passed through the security check,
bought coffees and grabbed a newspaper,
as we sat down at the boarding gate,
we heard the announcement,
our flight was canceled until further notice.
And there’s more… 
It felt like the whole aiport was shut down. 

The departures list from top to bottom read ‘canceled’.
Long queues at every customer service desks.
Waves of boarding gate changes.
It was total chaos.

That morning, 
143 take-offs and landings were cancelled,
48 aircrafts already in the air were diverted to other airports. 
The result was a lengthy 6 hours delay 
For my flight to Vienna,
and Tobias missed his afternoon session at the conference he wanted to attend.

This is because an idiot 
broke the law,
playing his/her toy — flying a drone 
in the drone-ban area, airport area, 
or trying to sabotage the airport.
His/her wrecking action 
caused losses to many people.

::: THE 613 LAWS 

Currently I am reading the Old Testament.
It amused me to find out the law,
that was given to the people of Israel,
is not just the famous 10 commandments,
but it expanded to a total of 613 commands,
covering laws about rituals and customs,
about social justice and morality. 

They point out real issues 
of the human heart 
about pride, lust, contempt and anger. 

These laws,
were a solid reliable guidepost,
for knowing how to love God 
and how to love other people,
for trusting God,
and live by His wisdom.

Unfortunately,
history tells us that despite all the laws 
there is a lot of rebellion,
an epic fail.
Humans were and are simply unable 
and incapable to obey all the laws,
because the heart is hard.
This piles up to tragedies, 
violence and death.
Humans defile the earth,
and humanity is on a path to self destruction.

I learned,
the purpose of the laws in the Old Testament,
are to convict us of our inability 
to keep God’s laws,
and to point us to our need
to Jesus Christ as our savior.

::: FULFILLING THE LAW 

It’s boarding time after 5 hours waiting.
At the gate mentioned on our boarding passes, 
we found out that they changed the boarding gate,
so we walked from one end of the airport to the other end,
it’s uneasy for me to walk that far.
As we arrived to that gate, 
it showed that boarding has now started at yet another gate, 
again we needed to walk to the other end of the airport.

This time, Tobias saw 2 member of airport staff,
pushing 2 empty wheelchairs.
He explained my mobility difficulties, 
and asked to use the wheelchair.
They refused to help us,
wanted us to go to the customer help counter 
and go through the admin procedures.
There were queues at every counter. 
We had no time, 
we left disappointedly.
We continued to walk slowly.

This time, Tobias saw an electric cart for transporting people with disabilities.
He again explained my situation, 
and asked her to drive us to the gate.
She refused to help,
with the same reason,
their rule to follow.
We left disappointedly.
We continued to walk.

This time, Tobias saw a mid-aged officer
pushing an empty wheelchair.
She looked friendly.
But, she, too refused to help us,
with the same reason, of course.


Often,
uptight, fundamentalist religious people 
are so fixated on their laws and rules.

To some extent, 
they are well-meaning people. 
They studied the religious books 
and are full of knowledge.
However their mind, 
is centered on their self-justification 
and on self-importance, 
more than their reflection 
on the heart and love of Christ.

It is a pernicious idea,
to believe that to earn 
the favour of God can be achieved  
by obedience to the laws.

This is what I learned.
What I believe is the truth.
A preemptive strike of grace.
God’s not waiting for me to repent, 
and come to obey the entire laws.
Instead, God’s coming to me,
despite my brokenness,
through Jesus Messiah, 
enacting God’s forgiveness, 
mercy and love.
He came
not to abolish the laws,
but to fulfil them.

Because of Jesus Christ,
His body and blood poured out for me,
I am in the new covenant.
The salvation is free,
yet nothing in all human history 
has ever been so costly.

What Jesus taught,
does not ratchet the laws up 
even more intensely,
but it internalizes 
the purpose of the laws,
and fulfilling the laws,
that is a renovation of human heart.

As for me,
following the laws,
doesn’t keep me in the love of God 
more than it got me into the love of God.
Following the laws is my response 
to the love of God for me.

::: THE LAW OF CHRIST 

This is the law of Christ, 
it is to love God with all of our being,
and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
These are the greatest commandments.
This is at the core of all laws.

So what we can do,
is to be vulnerable, honest, and authentic.
Be thankful for His mercy and love.
Fulfilling everything 
that God requires of us,
by truly and wholeheartedly 
obey these two commands:
Love and obey God,
and expressing love to others.

TO BE CONTINUED TO – PART 2

Love from Bratislava,
Titien 

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭12:29-31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬


::: UPDATE ABOUT ME 
1 Year 11 Months Post Biopsy
Midline Pontine Glioblastoma/DIPG Grade IV

Next Wednesday after coming back home from my trip to Vienna and Bratislava, I’ll receive the 8th round of Avastin. 

My symptoms are still fluctuating, but overall remain the same.
Though in the past weeks my right arm feels more sour and gets weaker.
Please go to http://titien.de/my-medical-history/ for more details. 

We arrived in Bratislava today and will stay here for 3 days 🥰 
I will fly back home on Saturday.
Somehow I miss home already 😝

Thanks for keeping me in your prayers 🙏

PS: Thank you for reading, commenting and sharing my posts. 
Please subscribe for more stories update on your email. 🤗
Or follow my Facebook page DIPG Online at http://www.facebook.com/brainstemtumor

Uh oh 😳😩😠 
Frankfurt Airport
@ Vienna city centre.
Went to the most famous ice-cream shop, 
lucky us we’re there 5 minutes before it’s open. 
We’re the first, long queue behind us 😝 . 
Honestly taste not so special, 
still my best gelato is in Firenze.
Stephan Cathédrale
Pose to be posh, photo with horse 🐴 🤩 take-1
Take-2 😄
Saw a passenger pay 80 Euros to ride this carriage 😲
Take-3 😁 I’m happy to just taking pictures, no need to ride 😋
I don’t remember this place 🤔
Hofburg Vienna
Prater Vienna
A mess! Me eating grilled chicken 🍗 
I don’t care, I love it! 🎤
I could get addicted to this stuff. Kurtos with cinnamon sugar 🤤
went to art museum in Vienna.
Exceptional brilliance and luminosity painting: restored to new life. It’s not only about an old peasant whose health has been restored, but also a revived nature that reawakening from the torpor of winter.
Took a coffee break at the museum
Went to many Cafés in Vienna
Melange 💗 
Austrians love it, so do I 😘
Sweets heaven 🍰🧁🥧🎂😍🥰
Albertina Art Museum
About a young Tobias fishing, and then healing his father with the fish he caught 🙃🐡
Darth Vader in front of Mozart Statue, Vienna
I like to see art museums
Often I find something funny in art museum 🤪🤣
Delicious Israeli breakfast at Naschmarkt,Vienna
How many Schnitzel consumed in Vienna since January 2019? 🤓🧐 …. 8.136.716!! 😱
Castle Schönbrunn
Beautiful garden at Schönbrunn castle
In the big big World… I mean big big garden.
The smell of roses 🌹 made me happy 
Mrs. Maier
and Mr. Maier, 
we’re the stakeholders of Bieders & Maier,
and I just told you a lie 😛
Most of the cafes in Vienna are classic
Writing this post with my iPhone
Tobias had Schnitzel! 
I had Braten Leber, love it 😍 🤤
Tschüss Vienna.
It’s May, it’s cold! 8C.
It’s the coldest May in 30 years! ☁️🌧☔️
Here we come Bratislava 🤠
Lunch at the canteen, Bratislava.
Bulgur with veggies 🤤
Baked Aubergine with meat and cheese. Yassss 🤤
Meanwhile this…. is Yuna’s lunch at the kindergarten in Seoul 😹
There she is, my sweet niece Yuna ❤️
Dark chocolate with banana 🍌👍👌👏🙌
Mondieu Lab Bratislava
Homemade lavender drinks 🍹 😻👍

2 Replies to “LESSONS FROM AUSTRIA & SLOVAKIA TRIP – PART 1”

  1. Hi Titien, this is your favorite chili plant, currently from Chiang Mai, Thailand.
    Assisting someone in obvious need is not a question of regulations or rules or even religion. It’s a basic concept of being human. I’m very sorry this happened to you repeatedly at the Frankfurt airport. Shame on them. Period.
    That aside, I’m very happy you can still enjoy the happy events of your trip. The delicious food, some nice places (even though you forgot the actual location ;), and beloved people, close by and even very remote. Seize every Joyful moment, embrace it, memorize it.
    Your post about friendship, intimate, revealing, trusting was wonderful, inspirational. Thank you for that.
    Enjoy your trip and your new experiences. Hugs!
    Holger
    Behold

    1. Hi Holger,
      sun is good for you 🌶 😁
      and you could also learn how chili grows properly there in Thailand 👍
      Ja, again unpleasant experience in Frankfurt, with people Scheuklappen with bureaucracy.
      2 years ago after biopsy, at midnight a nurse woke me up just to scold me for my 62 yo mom quietly sitting next to me overnight.

      Anyway, you’re right. Life is too precious to let this ruin my vacation. Fortunately we’re people who taking things easy, but taking humor seriously 😁

      Enjoy Chiang Mai, beautiful nature, delicious Thai culinary, exotic culture. Take care and keep spicy 🌶!

      Hugs from Bratislava 🤗

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