Dear Friends
The year 2006 began for family Josef and Lilly Gundacker in Austria with friends and a God’s Day Celebration in the parish of Grafenworth in Lower Austria.
My Women’s Federation (WFWP) and United Nations (UN) activities began early in the year with Drugs Committee, Diplomatic Academy, Committee on the Status of Women (CSW), Peace Committee (February)., Crime Commission (April), CONGO. Then I was asked to become the official secretary of WFWP Austria. The local WFWP activities included an Australian Slide Show, a calligraphy evening, a herbal walk, handicrafts and plant breeding. The European level brought a Sisterhood meeting with Austria, Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia to the Monastery city of Melk as well as a visit to Holland.
Josef invests in TOEIC (Test of English in International Communication) and was in Graz, Salzburg & Innsbruck for meetings, then also in Berlin for a seminar. He had an article published in the “Training” magazine, and also organised public meetings at the Business University in Vienna.
Godwin has begun and enjoys singing again, now with the Chorus Viennensis, a choir of exclusively former VBC members. He is continuing Palace duty on Sundays for some pocket money and acts as a tourist guide for the visitors who come to see the VBC.
Andreas and Timothy continue their famous path of public entertainment and were on a musical entertainment show on TV and left for Korea and then toured the USA with the Vienna Boys Choir (VBC).
In January Godwin’s (17th) birthday cake was quickly decorated before I left for Vienna for the Austrian WFWP AGM (Annual General Meeting).
In February Godwin and Christoph (15) prepared a CD of the proceedings of the ICC – International Association for Cereal Science and Technology, Jubilee Conference for my boss and experienced their first taste of contract work together.
In March we awoke one morning to falling snow and celebrated Nathan’s (9th) and Josef’s (51st) birthdays. Josef and I spent a luxurious day at a health spa dipping in and out of pools and saunas and philosophising about our contribution to world peace by promoting ideal families. Josef’s primary focus is the “Family Forum”. Godwin flew to England with his school for two weeks at Cambridge.
In April Anne Kjelling from the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo addressed our groups in Vienna about the Nobel Peace Prize.
In May Andreas celebrated his 13th birthday and we got a litter of kittens.
In June Josef and I joined forces when WFWP and Family Forum, Austria, sponsored an evening function entitled: “Family – School of Love” in the Danube University city of Krems. We also began a telelearning course together at Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) entitled: “Marriage and Family Enrichment”.
In July I also did another Access Advanced course, to improve my database techniques while Josef went to Bratislava with Godwin, Christoph and Nathan to hear Mrs Hak Ja Han Moon speak on her world tour of 180 cities, The World Peace Tour II.
My Mother in Australia invited Godwin and Christoph to spend their summer holidays so after the passports and the electronic tickets arrived for Australia they were off to Melbourne. Nathan went to Carinthia for the VBC initiation camp in Sekirn for 3 weeks while Timothy (11) and Andreas were there for four weeks. Josef and I took a few days travelling by train to Durnstein, Salzburg and Klagenfurt to visit the boys, as well as Family Ibounig who graciously provide lodgings year after year. This time we even experienced an interdenominational mountain service and walked across the unattended mountain border into Slovenia. In Salzburg we visited with Elisabeth and Claus Riedl who invited us to a concert “Mozart meets Beethoven”. It was interesting for me to be in Salzburg for the first time since living in Austria since 1988.
In August Andreas went to the HARP workshop in Seebenstein. I had various health problems and concluded that while focussing inwardly, on my own holiday, resting, swimming, taking care of myself I did not feel better and perhaps it was necessary to indeed look outwards to others afterall. Josef and I wrote a ‘Marriage Vision Statement’ in the course of our seminar and felt strengthened in our identity as a family.
For Census day in Australia. Godwin and Christoph were proud to be able to count themselves as “real” Australians till the next census in 2011.
We finally got rid of our broken down car and decided to live as a train and bicycle family for a while, carless, except for rentals. Now we have a table tennis table in the garage. Nathan went to Gaflenz for the children’s workshop. Godwin and Christoph arrived home safely (after the attempted terror attack in London) without luggage which arrived three weeks later. Mum sent money for the boys to buy their own computer which is put to very good use.
We had our first family evening and went down to the cellar for a table tennis tournament and are all pretty reasonable players so it was an enjoyable evening. Andreas won and Christoph came second.
Just as I thought we could manage financially, my boss reduced my hours from 38 to 32 and threw my whole budgeting concept. Josef and I realised, once again that our priority is the family and were soon reassured by others that an adequate or generous income was no guarantee for a happy marriage or family.
In September we supported the World Peace Tour III with Rev Moon’s children and grandchildren, organising a function in the Monastery of Goettweig.
Josef has made bottles of elderberry syrup in spring from flowers and berries in autumn. Nathan began boarding school at VBC, continuing to support the local Kirchberg am Wagram Under 10s soccer team on weekends.
In October we were invited to a tribal meeting of the Kitzlers, from Josef’s relatives.
WFWP invited Josef and I to speak about Family and Marriage Enrichment in Vienna
From November Andi and Timi toured Denmark and Germany. Meanwhile, Josef and I supported the IIFWP and UPF World Peace Tour IV, welcoming Christian ministers to Austria.
In December we were shocked to hear of the death of a nephew, Ewald, and Josef attended his funeral. Josef has been very active lobbying for the family to politicians and even to Catholic functionaries. We then attended a meeting together organised by a network called f21 where we met many family oriented individuals and organisations. The True Family Awards Banquet was held in the Marriot Hotel just before Christmas and we were honoured to welcome the founder, Rev. Jyun Hyung Pak, who was our regional leader when we worked with ICC Interdenominational Conferences for Clergy together in the North West of USA in 1986. Also Pater Severin, an Ambassador for Peace said the grace before the banquet.
We celebrated Christmas together and on 26th December, Godwin, Christoph, Andreas and Timothy went to a workshop in Seebenstein titled: Family Matters. We all met together again for the new year, 2007 in Grafenworth, at the Parish of St Andreas together with Pater Severin and our community members.
We have certainly been positively challenged and recognise the power of gratitude, optimism, family spirit and love.
2007 has already begun for us and we send our best wishes for a fruitful New Year.
Lilly and Family – Josef, Godwin, Christoph, Andreas, Timothy and Nathan.
Links:
Familien Forum: www.familienforum.at
Women’s Federation WFWP Austria www.herzundhand.at
TOEIC: www.toeic.eu
June – Melk Sisterhood Report with Photos: http://www.herzundhand.at/bruecke_melk-e.htm
German: http://www.herzundhand.at/bruecke_melk.htm#Bridge_of_Peace_
June – Family School of Love – Krems: http://www.herzundhand.at/familie_Schule.htm
July – World Peace Tour II 180 cities: http://www.peace-tour.org/tour2006/regions/europe.php
September – World PT III Göttweig http://www.peace-tour.org/tour3_2006/nation/austria.php
November – Holland Photos: http://www.herzundhand.at/Europe_3-photos.htm
Article Text only: http://www.herzundhand.at/Europe_3.htm
Seebenstein: http://www.riehl.at/seebenstein/index.html
True Family Award http://www.weltfriede.at/2006TrueFamilyAward.htm
Dearest Josef, Lilly and family,
I am Ileana Dexter’s daughter in Bend, Oregon USA. I have been going through cards, photos, etc. organizing them to put in photo albums for my family. I came across several letters, cards, postcards and a few photos you sent to my Mother. I was surprised to find this blog page when I started searching for you. I wanted to make sure you knew that my Mother passed away in September 2007. Your cards were very loving and I was inspired to reach out and see if I could locate you. I hope this finds you and your family well as this posting was from Dec 2006. Thank you for the love you showed my Mother. I am praying you receive this post.
Dollie Dexter Raymond