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October-November, 2003 http://spartlow.com/jennninsk
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Jennn Herzberg
Rovniankova 4
85105 Bratislava
SLOVAKIA
jennnbread@juno.com
phone: 011.421.908.877.496
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October….
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.…My
Favorite Month
of
the Year!
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No
matter where I was or where I am, I think the month of October will always be my
favorite time of year. There’s
something about the smells, the chill in the air, the changing colors of leaves,
and the overall “spirit” in the air, that I just LOVE.
This October was no different. In
spite of being extremely busy, I still felt that special “October-ness”,
gearing me up for the next few months.
Why was October so busy? In
addition to my usual school classes, I began English classes at my Slovak
church, had a few fellow missionaries visit for some good fellowship time, flew
home to the States for a surprise weekend visit to my family and fiancé,
prepared and lead the annual Fall Retreat in Prague, held the last weekend of
October for all the LCMS Central Europe missionaries.
All this made for a busy, but productive and “well worth it” month!
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English,
English, English! I never thought it could take so much energy to simply
speak.
But over the last year and 2 months, I’ve experienced the
exhaustion that comes from “simply speaking”…that is, speaking
simply.
When conversing with learners of English, it takes a lot of
concentration to not only listen, but also to speak in a way that
minimizes (or eliminates altogether) confusing idioms, slang, or grammar
too advanced for that particular learner.
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In
addition to my English classes at school this year, I’ve begun three
separate English hours at my Slovak church.
Tuesday nights is advanced English conversation for adults.
This is a continuation from last year, with about five people
involved this year thus far.
Wednesday evenings is set aside for beginning English for adults.
This has become one of my most challenging hours, as adults
can’t “soak in” a language as smoothly as children can.
But it’s also become one of my most favorite hours, because the
women in this group (including one of the pastors at church!) are so
excited to learn a new language!
Finally,
on Friday afternoons after school, a youth English hour is held, where I
have all ages and levels, from 7-year olds who can’t count to ten, to
16 year olds who’ve studied English for seven years!
So, we’re slowly figuring out together how to most effectively
use this hour.
It’s certainly been nice, throughout all of these new English
classes, to meet and get to know some new people here in Bratislava.
Let’s pray that God can use me, in whatever way, to draw new
people to this church to learn of the saving power of Jesus Christ.
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Fun
& Fellowship in Prague, Czech Republic
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The
annual LCMS Central Europe Volunteers Retreat was held again this year in
Prague, Czech Republic, from October 24-27.
This year though, it was a bit different for me, as I was the designated
“boss” of the retreat. You may
remember that this year I volunteered to assist our Area Director, Rev. Rick
Blythe, with ‘volunteer-related’ activities:
ie, our Fall Retreat! So he
left me in charge of the program and allowed me to run the entire weekend
(fortunately, he’d already set up some of the major elements of the weekend,
such as housing and guest speakers!).
Sure,
things got a bit stressful at times…”Aaaah!
Where is the group from Tisovec! They
were supposed to be here 2 hours ago!” (turns out they got a little lost
coming from the train station!), but overall, I couldn’t have asked for a
smoother weekend! My fellow
missionaries were so flexible, forgiving and understanding of any ‘snags’,
and we all just rolled with the punches, as missionaries are taught to do!
Our
weekend had two big highlights, as we had Dr. David Daniel, one of the world’s
leading experts on the history of Lutheranism in Slovakia and Central Europe
(and also an LCMS career missionary in Bratislava!), lead us through an
abbreviated history of our area. The
second highlight came from Dr. Bruce Hartung, the ‘well-being guy’ for LCMS
Worldmissions.
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He led two devotions about our emotional and physical well-being (including a
powerful healing service) and an all-day session on Sunday about the various
“colors” of our personalities. Not
only was it fun, it was extremely enlightening as well.
Overall, we had a
great time. The Lord was quite
present during our weekend, allowing for some heart-felt fellowship, tears,
laughter, and even some “tourist-time” as we ventured around Prague! Praise God for a time of renewal and refreshment!
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the 2003-2004 LCMS Central Europe Missionaries + Dr. Bruce Hartung
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There’s
just something about
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On October 11th, Jennn was treated to a quick afternoon of
some good ol’ fashioned Midwest lovin’, when a Lutheran tour group
from Minnesota stopped in Bratislava on their way down (or up) the
Danube River. Rev. Paul and
Rhoda Pfotenhauer, the parents of my former DCE director at
Concordia-Irvine, coordinated the meeting, which allowed the group to
see both my school and church. In
addition, they met and talked with my headmaster and vice-headmistress
as well as Pastor Milos Klatik, the head pastor at my Slovak
congregation. In addition
to THAT, they dragged two HUGE suitcases with them ALL the way from
Minnesota for me, full of goodies for my students (and even a few things
for me) J!! It was
a huge blessing for me to have them visit, and I hope it was a blessing
for them to experience a sliver of life in Bratislava!
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Midwest
hospitality!
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Word
o' the Month:
"D'akujem"
(pronounced,
"Dyak-kuy-yem")
Thank you! So
far this year, God has provided me, once again, with wonderful Slovaks who take
care of me and help me when I’m in need.
He’s also given me great supporters in America who continue to pray for
me and nourish me with love. And best of all, He’s given me His Son Jesus
Christ, who gave His life so that I may have eternal life in heaven!
D’akujem!
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REFRIED
BEAN ALERT
So
I’ve discovered, since being overseas for an extended period of time, that my
favorite food, the one I miss ALL the time, is Mexican food.
So it’s been my quest, for the last year and 2 months, to find Mexican
food products in Bratislava.
At this point, I can get almost everything I need for a good ol’
fashioned burrito or taco, except one KEY element:
REFRIED BEANS.
I think about 2 cans exist in a town about an hour away in Hungary, but I
just can’t justify to myself spending 2 hours on a train simply to go to the
grocery store.
I’ve tried making the beans by hand, thanks to my old college roommate
Rachel (and her grandma’s wonderful recipe) but I can’t do it justice.
I will continue my quest to find the sacred beans….and, in the
meantime, every time you pass by some Old El Paso, think of me and say a little
prayer.
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And
speaking of thanks…
I
hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving this year, enjoying lots o’ turkey and
stuffing, as well as giving thanks for all the blessings God has given you in
your life. I was fortunate enough
to be able to celebrate here in Bratislava with 43 other people, representing at
least 5 countries! American football in the rain, singing, fellowship, and
LOTS OF FOOD...it was SWEET.
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Oh!
And even more thanks!
A big ol' D'AKUJEM to those
who have financially supported my work in Slovakia. Thanks to individuals,
churches, and mission committees, I and my colleague were able to purchase 30
new dictionaries for the students at our school. Additionally, we ordered
supplemental reading books to further enhance our new English program.
Praise God that He provides a loving and caring family in Christ, all over the
world!
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snap
back to reality...
Our
Thanksgiving Eve worship at the English-speaking church was also attended by
three Slovak police, sent by the U.S. ambassador in Slovakia, to check the
building before the service, as well as remain there during worship. It was
merely a safety precaution, since this was a large group of Americans gathering
together in a public place. A bit of a weird feeling upon hearing that
announcement, but I'm thankful for the measures taken to ensure our
safety!
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A
Special Weekend in Oswiecim…
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Unless you’re familiar with Poland and its language, you probably don’t
recognize the name above. However,
the town of Oswiecim in German is translated Auschwitz, which is a bit more
famous. While visiting 2 missionary
friends in Poland, we spent one day visiting the eerie but powerful former
concentration camp. I took a class in high school about the Holocaust, have been
to the National Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, so I was familiar with many
of the images from that horrific time in our history.
Walking around
the place where these crimes actually took place was definitely surreal…I
couldn’t really grasp the immensity of it all.
The atrocities that took place there, and many other places, should never
be forgotten. Let’s pray that the
Holy Spirit works in the hearts of people all over the world, bringing
salvation, grace, peace and love. When one is filled with the fruits of the Holy Spirit,
there’s no room for the Devil!
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PRAY
WITH ME…
Please
Thank God for…
…new
opportunities for Jennn to be a witness for Christ!
…Sallay
Turner! Jennn’s future sister-in-law and her family finally were able to
travel to Sierra Leone and bring back their new daughter, Sallay!
…A
successful weekend of fellowship and spiritual nourishment for all Central
Europe missionaries, in Prague.
…my
fellow English teacher, Lubica, and her commitment to the Gospel, amidst the
spiritual dryness found in Europe
…the
holiday season! A time of joy,
anticipation and thanksgiving!
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Please
Pray for…
…open hearts and minds of Jennn’s students and all those with whom
she interacts
…Sallay and her new family,
that they adjust well to new family dynamics; that Sallay adapts smoothly to
life in a new country and new home.
…the CE missionaries, for
strength, wisdom, and power from the Holy Spirit to be witnesses for Christ; for
strength during this holiday season, as many will not be with family.
…Lubica, that she can be a
strong influence in the lives of her students.
…a time of renewal during the
holiday season, that we remember the True Reason for celebrating—Jesus Christ!
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Do you have any questions or comments about my work in Slovakia? Please e-mail me at jennnbread@juno.com or send a note to my parents, who will let me know!
Rev. Terry & Susie Herzberg
31-06 Morlot Ave.
Fair Lawn, NJ 07410
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Thank you for taking the time to hear about what God is doing through
me in Central Europe! If you are interested in supporting me financially,
please send a tax-deductible gift to:
OUR SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH, 22-15 Broadway, FAIR LAWN, NJ 07410. Make checks
payable to Our Savior Lutheran Church, with "Slovakia Mission Fund" in the
memo line. If you’re interested in encouraging me with letters, etc, please
contact my parents at the address to the left, and they will let you know
the best ways to encourage my work here!
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