October 2021 Prayer Requests from Cory and Kristiana Miller

A month of life in Austria has passed with many ups and downs. We sit in the tension between great blessings and great burdens, and I would like to share one of each with you.
 
Great blessing: We were able to get Rylynn a spot in our first-choice school, which was a small miracle! The school is bilingual, which is a perfect fit for her. Rylynn’s main German-speaking teacher is actually my (Kristiana’s) elementary school teacher, and his kindness and support have been critical during this transition. Her English-speaking teacher is new to us, but we found out recently that she is a believer–a rare and wonderful gift in Europe! Meanwhile, Melody is adjusting well to Kindergarten, too, and is gradually picking up more and more German. We are thrilled to see our daughters adjusting to school life here.
 
Great burden: We haven’t received news from the judge regarding our Austrian residency yet. We have to be very careful not to overstay our 90 days as tourists here, so timing is very pressing. Even though we continue to pray for a miraculously fast decision within the next two weeks, we have started making practical plans in case that doesn’t happen. On October 8th, we fly to Dublin, where we intend to wait for our visa approval (please God!) while we visit old friends and empty our storage unit.
 
We’re excited to see our Irish community and so many places and people we love, but this trip is far from restful. Our girls will lose their spots in school and Kindergarten (we hope to re-enroll them if we are able to return, but there’s no guarantee that will be possible). We will have to homeschool for an uncertain amount of time, for which we are woefully unprepared. And we can’t begin to guess when our situation will be resolved, so our housing in Ireland will be expensive, tenuous, and confusing, possibly forcing us to move from one Airbnb to the next as the weeks pass. Our hearts are heavy with upheaval and uncertainty, and we know this next step will be a difficult and confusing one for our daughters.
 
Will you pray for us?

PLEASE PRAY:

For miracles! Pray that the judge deciding our case would look at it seriously this week and make his decision in our favor before October 8th. Even if the paperwork takes several weeks and we still take this trip to Ireland, which is likely, a “yes” from the judge means that we can return here soon, and the greatest stressor in our lives would be relieved.

For Rylynn and Melody. Pray that this Ireland time would be joyful for them, and that our family would remain close, kind, and loving toward one another as we battle another strange adventure.

That we would find the perfect solution to our homeschooling need. We have to educate our kids, but we only plan to homeschool for a few months at most, and we aren’t sure how to find a curriculum that will work for us. We’re new to the homeschool world.

For health and safety as we travel. Please pray that God would guard every one of us from harm, including Covid, as we navigate flights and temporary accommodations for a while. These next few weeks would be a disastrous time to get sick, because we can’t afford to quarantine and overstay our tourist visa.

Please keep praying. These burdens feel heavy.

We would definitely appreciate prayer. Here are some specifics:

- Urgent! Please pray that the judge reviewing our visa appeal case in Austria would work quickly and give us a favorable response before October 8th, when our tourist visas expire and we will have to leave the country if our case is not resolved.

- Please pray for great peace, endurance, faith, and patience for our little family during this period of extended upheaval.

- Pray that God would continue to use us for his work even while we wait and wonder what our future will bring.

Thank you.

Always,

Kristiana and Cory Miller