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Jennn Herzberg
Rovniankova 4
85105 Bratislava
SLOVAKIA
jennnbread@juno.com
phone: 011.421.908.877.496
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it's all happening...
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It's been a wild and crazy last few
months...check out what's been going on!
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Welcome to the EU!
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above: I had the privilege of being in Slovakia as it and 9 other
countries entered the European Union on May 1, 2004. While I think most
Slovaks were more excited about the success of Slovakia in the World Hockey
Championships, it was an exciting moment in history nonetheless. Above
left is a stage in the center of town where bands from many countries played in
front of the sign that welcomes Slovakia into the EU.
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Missionary Gatherings...
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The volunteer missionaries in
Central Europe have had quite a few opportunities to get together in the past
couple months. At the end of February, we had the honor of hosting Dr.
Jack Schultz (my former Concordia-Irvine professor), who gave a workshop on
missions and anthropology.
During April, we gathered for two
weekends in a row, but for very different purposes. First was the annual
Sports Weekend, held in Aszod, Hungary, where 80 high school students played
basketball and crazy games for 2 days. Most importantly though, our theme
of "New Creation" found in Jesus Christ was reiterated numerous times
throughout the weekend, and we pray that the Holy Spirit worked through that
event to draw students closer to Him. The next weekend was a time for
spiritual and emotional renewal for all missionaries at the Spring Retreat, held
in a small town outside of Bratislava. This was my big organizational event of
the year, and praise God it went off fairly well!!
to the right: Dr. Jack Schultz and his
wife, plus some volunteers and our "boss", Rev. Rick Blythe.
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You may or may not remember this picture from the last newsletter, but I had
to include it again this time because the two students on the left, Lubos and
Martin, had literally .5 seconds of fame! As I watched a special
presentation about the new EU countries on CNN International, I was shocked to
see these two guys pop up in the section about Slovakia! Seems they were
attending a soccer game and the CNN crew focused right in on them...needless to
say, I felt like a proud English teacher at that moment :)
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want you to meet another student!
This is Sebastian Steffek, another "Kvinta" (9th grade)
student of mine. Over the past two years, I've watched Sebastian's
English improve a great deal. That's not a testament to my
teaching abilities but, rather, his great desire to learn
languages! Sebastian is also quite a mature Christian. His
strong character and deep faith are evident in his daily life, and I
pray that maybe he might consider becoming a pastor someday, or some
sort of ministry position! So, I give you...Sebastian Steffek:
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How old are you? -I'm
16.
What's your favorite subject in
school? I don't know what's my favorite
subject in school, but I like history, geography, languages (English
& German)
Is it important to study foreign
languages? Why do you like to study German and English? I
think languages are very important. English is a international
language. I need to speak English, because I want a lot of
travel. And in my job I will need English too. Here in
Europe is also very prevalent German language. And if I want to
work in Europe-- in foreign countries, I'll need to speak German.
What do you want to do in the
future? I want to go to some
college. But which kind of college? I'm still not
decided. For that reason, I don't know, what kind of job I want to
do-- maybe, I want to be a lawyer (as all my family).
What's your favorite sport? My
favorite sports are: kobudo (Japanese martial art) and Tai Chi
(Chinese- exactly Yang style Tai Chi Chuan).
What do you do in your free time? In
my free time I train martial arts, I listen to the radio (music-- pop,
rock, dance, hip hop, special Tai Chi music, etc...), I go with my
friend to the cinema, or I watch TV, I read some book and I do
everything what can do a teenager in my age.
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What's the best thing about
Slovakia? I am the best thing about
Slovakia :) The truth is, I don't know what can be the best thing
about my country, but I know I like Slovakia.
Is Jesus an important part of your
life? Yes, Jesus is an important part of
my life! Because he loves me and He saved me from the death.
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Word o' the Month
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**kamarat**
(pronounced "kah-mah-raht") "Friend!"
It seems that I've been surrounded lately by friends. Friends here
in Bratislava, friends visiting from home, and friends made with fellow
missionaries here. Praise Jesus for the comfort and fun that we can find
in friends! (I'm also curious how the series finale of "Friends"
turned out...)
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This is Rick Blythe. He works for LCMS Worldmissions as
a career missionary, along with his wife Amy and 2 kids Jake and Ben. I
couldn't tell you exactly what his title is though, because for the last few
years he's been performing the roles of approximately three jobs. The role
that affected me however, was the role of Volunteer Coordinator. He's been
an incredible support to the volunteers here, listening to us, encouraging us,
fighting for us and building us up as servants of Christ. I wanted to
highlight him here because he and his family have been an important part of my
life in the past two years (not to mention they were strategic in the surprise
engagement proposal last May in Frankfurt! But you can ask Steve about
that). Thank you, Blythe Family!
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Another
Thank You... ...to
those who have responded to my request for resources! I've received CD's
and songbooks (thanks to my mom and the Walls family in California), as well as
an entire set of WorldBook Encyclopedias from Bob & Gloria Wargo in New
Jersey! Thanks to all of you who have inquired about needed items here,
both now and in the past. Most importantly, thanks to all of you who have
been praying for me and keeping up with what's going on here in Slovakia.
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needed: my
replacement!
Though it's
hard to think about NOT being here next year with "my kids" and
"my ladies" (to whom I teach English at church), it's true...I need a
replacement. At this point, there are not enough volunteers for Central Europe
to cover my position. I know it's a short time away BUT, if you've ever
desired to serve the Lord overseas, get in touch with Worldmissions about
possibly serving next year! You can call or email, just check out the
website: www.lcmsworldmissions.org.
Pray about it!
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surrounded
by friends...
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above left: my college roommate Rachel & I, at
the train station in Vienna; below left: my fiance, Steve, during his visit to
Slovakia this year; right: my grandpa, George Mack, during his visit
to Central Europe, in Budapest on Easter Monday!
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PRAY
WITH ME…
Please
Thank God for…
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Safe
travels for visiting friends and family; safe travels for fellow
missionaries transporting groups of students to and from Sports Weekend!;
for a super-successful Sports Weekend, where the name of Christ was preached
powerfully and repeatedly!
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the
wonderful chances He's allowed for me to spend time with relatives, friends
and fiances!, which has helped me to remain emotionally strong during my
last months here
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how
good He is, all the time, everywhere!
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Please pray for...
- More safe travels, for my brother flying home to NJ, for missionaries
going home (including me, on June 20th)
- A powerful witness in my last five weeks of teaching, so that my
students may remember not just "Miss Herzberg, the English
teacher" but that Christ lives in me and His love is what brought me to
them for the last 2 years
- upcoming weddings: Liesl & Gabriel (May 30), Dagmar &
Matt (June 5), Bob & Stephanie (June 26) and Jennn & Steve (Sept.
5)...that all of these relationships are rooted in the firm foundation of
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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