What do you think would happen?

That's right. What do you think would happen if I stood in the seminary courtyard with a cardboard sign saying, "Will Marry For Good Doctrine"?

Anyone?

My March 2009 Newsletter

Cieszyn, Poland

Greetings to you all in the name of our resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ! Happy Easter, Happy Resurrection Celebrations! This is by far my favorite church holiday and I do miss being home at this time of year. But the good news is that it doesn’t matter where we are, we can celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, because He died for all!

I’ve got quite a bit of news for you this newsletter (hard to believe, huh?), so I’ll dive right in! It’s been a short couple of months for me. I think that’s probably because I’ve been so busy. But to remind you, I included in my last newsletter news about my grandpa, and requesting prayers for Him as well as for what, at the time was to be upcoming extensive travels in the months of January and February. So, I’ll start with updating you on these items.

First, the extensive travels. Some of you already know about this! Many months ago now, my mom and I were talking over Skype, and I can’t really recall the conversation, but I imagine I was probably feeling a bit homesick and asking her if she and my dad would be able to visit me this year, or if I would be able to visit them during one of our long breaks at school. It wasn’t a serious idea at first, but soon it became one. And it became our little secret. J So, my mom helped me to book a flight home for January, and she had the duty of keeping our secret. I must give her props for keeping it a very well-kept secret for quite a while before it was leaked to a few people (because she just can’t lie!). Anyhow, we managed to keep it a wonderful, wonderful surprise.
I’ll tell you briefly about surprising my dad, though I was very satisfied with the sheer number of people I surprised and all the various reactions. But first, it’s important to note that it was my dad and great-grandma’s birthday two days after I arrived in the USA. To start, my dad. My mom and I discussed at great length for many months all the schemes we could think of for surprising him. Finally, because an aunt from Phoenix was coming the day before me, we decided that my mom and dad would drive to the airport to get “my aunt.” Of course, my aunt was staying with a friend for a day so that this plan could work beautifully. Even with a few disruptions to my flights, my dad didn’t suspect a thing! I walked down the long hall of the airport knowing exactly where my mom and dad would be waiting, and finally turned the corner where they were. I walked right to them, the only people in the waiting area. My dad just sat there, stunned, until I was standing in front of him and said in a chipper voice, “Happy Birthday, Dad!” I think he stammered over his words for a minute, until he told me what he was thinking: “Well, I was looking at that girl thinking, ‘Gee, she looks a lot like Steph…wait, that is Steph!!” It was great. Obvious questions followed, one by one they came trickling out…
Dad: What about Judy (my aunt)? She’s not coming, then?
Mom & me: She’s waiting outside.
Dad: Very strange expression appears on his face as he squeezes my shoulder.
Dad: Does everyone know about this except for me? (After some lady in the airport who my mom had talked to about this, asked my dad if he was surprised.)
Mom: Well, not everybody.
Dad: So, how long have you had this planned? How long do you get to stay?
…..and the list goes on.

I was able to stay home for three weeks during a winter break at our school. What a great blessing it was to see family and friends again! Words cannot even begin to describe the great joy it was to be home and visit everyone again. Praise God for His great gifts and allowing me this great opportunity (which came at a really good time—to see Grandpa), to visit my home away from Home!

Grandpa (pictured above) started chemotherapy in January, a week or two before I got home. He had to stay at the hospital in Rochester, MN for about a month before he was well enough to go home and stay healthy. He was very happy to be home again, and started getting out and about right away. He had a good report from the last blood test they did at the hospital. The blood test showed no leukemia, but he’d also had a lot of blood and other cell and platelet transfusions. Since then, he’s been getting chemo treatments a week at a time, and he’ll be heading back to Rochester for a week this week. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

Here’s a quick review of life until now, and I will write more about significant happenings later. Two days after returning to Poland I was back at school (and a little sleepy). But it was back to work, and it was great to see all my students again, who were eager to know what I did, who/what I saw while I was in the States, if I watched the Presidential Inauguration, etc. and so on. About two weeks later, I fell quite ill with what I think may have been bronchitis. I can honestly say I’ve never been as sick in my life as I was for those two plus weeks. But on the bright side, I got to experience something new culturally. A friend took me to see the doctor. It was interesting. It’s not quite like visiting the doctor in the US at all, but it was good. But she told me she hadn’t ever seen anyone with such a red throat. This doctor was so nice, too. I found out that she is a Christian woman, and probably one of the best doctors in Cieszyn. I also found out that I had gone on a sleigh ride in the mountains a few weeks earlier with her daughter! Small world! Anyway, she gave me a long list of prescription drugs to help get me better quickly, and advised me to stay at home for another week. I’m feeling so much better now! And I have a voice again (important for my line of work)!

Shortly after that, all of us Eurasia missionaries gathered in Zilina, Slovakia for a missionary gathering. I’ll talk more about that later.

Zilina is soooo beautiful. I highly recommend it.

"The Four"

A view of Zilina.

Me, showing the girls how to have fountain fun.

"I am sixteen, going on seventeen..."

Since the gathering, I’ve been getting in the swing of things again, tutoring (which I’ll also say more about later), and doing library upkeep as well as adding books to the library which I was able to buy while in the States. So far, almost half of those books have been checked out! There are a few that have been checked out already a few times, too! Thank you to everyone at my church for the door offerings and to those of you who have chosen to give monetary gifts directly to me for ministry! You made those purchases for our library possible!! In all, I think I was able to buy about 35 books for the school. I tried to focus on getting more books for boys, too, as there aren’t many interesting books for our young boys in our English library. I also got several “Reader” books, which are the books which beginning readers start with, and they show the reading level on the backs of the books. These “Readers” help students to find books appropriate for their reading level. It helps me with helping them to find appropriate books, too!


Our Eurasia Missionary Gathering brought missionaries from north to south in Eastern Europe: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. This gathering was a huge blessing for me, and I think it’s safe to say the same for everyone there. It was so wonderful to be reunited to spend meaningful time together and to share the love of Christ, to have our cups filled again. It can sometimes be discouraging and wearing to give and give and give, then to not be filled in return, which is exactly why this gathering was so wonderful. It was a time to be filled. We had several meaningful times of prayer and song. We were also blessed to have among us a pastor, Pastor Jim, who is a missionary in Prague, Czech Republic, and he led our worship service on Sunday morning. WHAT a blessing to worship in English again! In addition to those wonderful blessings, we were all able to share success stories, and share knowledge of what we’ve learned from both successes and failures in the places we are serving. For many of us, our ministry is based out of the school we teach in, so we were also able to share how we integrate the Gospel into our lessons—and it’s always great to get new ideas for that! Bottom line, though, for this gathering, is that it was a huge blessing for me. It’s given me what I’ve been longing for, for a very long time—fellowship with other Christians, and a renewal of Spirit. Praise God for that!

Here’s our group picture…what a good-looking bunch of people!








I also mentioned earlier that I tutor. I’ve been doing this for a while now and so far only two students have ever showed up, but not at the same time. Lately, I’ve had one girl, Patrycja, who has been coming regularly. Patrycja is a very special girl. Her mom died when she was 8 years old. Since then she has been living with her grandfather, and her sister is living down the street with someone else. I can’t say much more about Patrycja, but I would like to ask you to pray for Patrycja. Living alone with her grandfather is difficult at times, and she is struggling in school, but she is a brilliant young girl. She has come to my tutoring lessons, she says, to improve her English, which I believe, but I also think she comes so that she can talk with a female adult and have that in her life. Last week, she really opened up to me about her home life and things going on in all areas of her life. She was crying as she was telling me about this and I could see the pain in her eyes and on her face. I comforted her by saying, quite sincerely, that I am so happy she is coming to me each week, and I’m happy that she feels comfortable enough to talk to me about these things, but above all, I told her I wanted to remember that I care about her. At the end of our lesson, I asked her if I could give her a hug, and I did. Then she told me that she couldn’t remember the last time she was hugged by an adult. At that point, I was doing everything I could to keep from weeping myself. Please pray for her struggles at home and at school. Pray for our lessons that God would bless our time together, and that she will be open to hearing the Gospel. Patrycja also talked about one of her best friends at school, Iwona. She is scared for Iwona because Iwona is in a difficult situation at home as well, so I ask you, too, to keep Iwona in your prayers. Pray for Iwona and her mom, and please pray that God would give them the strength they need right now.

Other Odds and Ends
This last week, I was invited by a dear friend of mine, to speak to her fourth grade class about America. So I went, and I talked to them, and answered their questions. It was a delight for me and I’m sure I’ll never forget them! Here’s a picture:

Last week I was informed of the death of a good friend, Ewa Macura (pictured above, left), who was like an aunt or a grandmother to me. Last year, I spent nearly every Sunday afternoon with her and her family. She made everyone a big Sunday dinner and we would stay together all afternoon. I have very fond memories of her and our time together. I can thank her, and that time together, for much of the progress I made in learning Polish, as she and her family didn’t speak English. Ewa turned 86 on March 5. A few months ago doctors discovered a tumor in her. I thank God that she was a God-fearing woman and that she is now happier and healthier than she’s ever been, rejoicing in Heaven this Easter!

A day after I learned of Ciocia (Auntie) Ewa’s death, I went to school and noticed that something wasn’t right. The 27 year old sister of one of our teachers had died early that morning. Doctors concluded that she died of sepsis (she had a fever that reached a dangerously high temperature, when bacteria entered her bloodstream; once that happens, it’s deadly, and it’s quick). Please pray for comfort for both the families of Ciocia Ewa, and of Beata Kisiala. Pray especially for Beata’s sister, a teacher at our school, Dorota Kisiala, who is understandably having a very difficult time right now.

More Prayer Requests

For missionaries and I who are all near each other. Pray that we would use our talents and gifts to mutually encourage one another, and help each other. Pray that our relationships would continue to grow in Christ. And Thank God for each of them! I am so thankful they are here!

Pray for all Eurasia missionaries, and missionaries everywhere, that they be given an extra measure of the Spirit…as they are working on a spiritual battlefield.

Pray for ME! Please pray that I will return to the States having a job. My name is on the Call list now and I’m waiting to hear from three possible schools (and really hoping for one near St. Louis!). Please pray that whatever happens would be God’s will, and that I would be content with that. Please pray, too, that in the meantime, my nerves would rest a little, and just let God worry about it!

Please pray that, as I am looking ahead to returning to the States, not knowing yet where I’ll be going, that things would fall together when they need to: housing, especially, but also getting settled into a new home very quickly, then getting adjusted to a new area and starting work in a new place.

Please pray for my fellow teachers at GTE/LOTE. I can see that so many are feeling worn out and exhausted. They tell me it’s so hard to motivate students, and that it’s so tiring. Please pray for their continued endurance, and renewal of strength, new ideas.

Please pray for these students, that they would also be renewed. Spring is here and it’s hard to focus. The end is near, and that makes it hard to focus as well.

Please pray that the students wouldn’t lose sight of their vocation as students now, and that they would absorb everything that teachers put in front of them.

Please pray for the leadership in our schools, that our leaders would use discernment and make good decisions for the benefit of the school, the teachers, the students.

Thank God that spring is here in Cieszyn, Poland! God has blessed us with beautiful days, wonderful weather, singing birds and shining sun!!

Thank God for choosing people like you and me to carry out His plans, in America and overseas, and in your home congregation or your own backyard.

Please continue to pray for opportunities for me to share the Gospel and for me to recognize those opportunities.

Please pray for my seniors who are about to take their Matura exam. It’s the most important exam of their career as students (they are very stressed over this exam!), and it will determine which university they can go to. Please pray that they would all do well, to the best of their abilities.

Please pray for a replacement(s) for me in Cieszyn next year, and for all the places which still need volunteers for next year.

Please continue to pray for my grandfather, who is receiving chemo treatments.

Please continue to pray for the safety and protection (physical and spiritual) of my family.




Thank you for reading!

Thank you for your encouragement, fellowship, and monetary support!
Without even one of these things, this mission would be impossible!
I’m thankful for you!

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to the completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1:3-6

Happy Easter!



If you would like to contribute financially to my work in Poland, please visit http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=11885 to see my page on the LCMS World Mission website and to learn more about donating. I’ve got about $3,000 left to raise.

If you know someone who would like to be added to this newsletter emailing, or if you would like to be removed from it, please send an email to me at: Stephanie.Rosburg@lcms.org

Prayers Needed

In recent days, I've been informed of two deaths.

One was Ciocia (Auntie) Ewa. She was Ciocia to me, too. Last year, I went to her house every Sunday after church. She didn't speak English and it's partly thanks to her that I was able to learn so much Polish. She was the sweetest Polish lady I knew. On March 5 she turned 86. Her funeral is Friday and I'll be going with a friend. She was, by the way, the real aunt of my friend, Krystyna. And, Ewa had one surviving daughter. So, please pray for her family (and for me) as we mourn her death, but rejoice in the fact that she's singing, leaping, jumping...she's happier and healthier than she's ever been before because she's in heaven.

Hours later, I found out that the 27 year old sister of a teacher had died in the middle of the night. Her name was Beata and she'd just finished her studies at the university last year. They're still not sure what exactly she died from, but she was feeling sick and had a fever the day before. She went to the hospital in the evening and died in the early morning. Doctors suspect it may have been septis, which is when a fever is so severe that bacteria enters your bloodstream. It can be very fatal if not treated immediately. Obviously, this is a shock to Dorota, Beata's sister, and the whole family, as well as for everyone at our school that is close to Dorota and who knew Beata. I really feel for them right now. Please pray for them, too. This certainly isn't an easy time for them.


I don't have any news about my grandpa right now. He seems to be feeling fine...he goes to work still and does things around the house like normal. He's going back to Rochester for chemo treatments again next week, for a whole week. Please keep him in your prayers as well.

I Haven't Been Fair To My Readers

I haven't written a decent post for a long time. And a lot has happened! Maybe that's why I hesitate. There's much too much to cover. So just a few, insignificant things for now...as it is wa-a-a-a-a-a-ay past my bedtime here in Eastern Europe.

I'm getting used to being domestic. I baked today! I made some chewy oatmeal M&M cookies and some homemade bread! Mmmm.

And before I was able to do that, I had to visit my neighbor to get her blender, only she wasn't home, so I had to ask her son who had no idea where it was so he asked his sister... I heard a loud crash in their kitchen, and about a minute later he returned with a pop bottle cap in his mouth and the mixer in his hand trying to put the attachments into it. It was quite the sight. It made me smile a big smile, and laugh.

Before that, I was doing some other domestic duties. One of which was washing the dishes. I cut my thumb. There was a lot of blood. There was also a brief moment that was semi-hilarious... I was walking to my bathroom to get a bandage with my thumb positioned over my free hand which was cupping the blood that was gushing ever so freely and since I wasn't yet sure how bad it was, I wondered to myself if the local hospital (across the street) has any doctors who are as good as Dr. Gregory House, M.D. I chuckled to myself for thinking that. What would a diagnostition tell me anyway? "Ma'am, you seem to have cut your finger. I'm sorry. You need stitches. If you refuse, we'll amputate."

And before that! I had a private English lesson with a dear friend. We joke and laugh all the time. And I'm a bad influence. I get it from my mother. Anyway, my friend is almost 40 years old, is a pediatrition at the local hospital where her husband, about 50 years old, also works. She doesn't have any children, and she's afraid to have any children at her age; she knows the risks for the child and doesn't want to take those risks. So, she wants to adopt a child (or two or several). Her husband doesn't. Oh, one more thing: she and her husband live in a tiny apartment right now. Her husband wants to buy a 6 bedroom house for the two of them and remodel it...instead of adopting a child (which is free). This has been an ongoing saga and today we were making jokes of it to lighten the atmosphere...and her mood. So, I told her what she should do... she should convert their office into a bedroom for a child and decorate it with either pink frills or sports equipment, but get a bed and all sorts of children's toys and decorations in there... If she can't have the kid, what's the harm in pretending? :) Of course I was joking and she would never do that... but it sure was fun for us to think about!
On a serious note, though, please do pray for this situation...she so, so, so badly wants a child. And she's willing to take a child from the orphanage; a child that equally needs a tender, loving home.

In the next edition of my Two Cents...
I will talk about my visit to the USA for three weeks in January/February and how I surprised the WHOLE family! THAT was awesome!

But for now, I MUST....go....to....sleep! It's 3 a.m. I must be nuts.

And to think that when I heard my alarm go off this morning at 6:30am, I thought it was going to be a bad day...What a great day it turned out to be!! Praise God!!!

AND... it's Fat Tuesday. Happy Lent, everyone!!!! Well...not happy, maybe somber...but you know what I mean. I wish you all a reflective season this lent; may you learn something knew about our great Savior, our wonderful God.

WILL MARRY FOR GOOD DOCTRINE

That's all.

I'm flying home Friday morning!

Whew... off my chest. Well, not that it's been bothering me.

I'm beginning to face the reality that I actually will be home soon. The best part is that it's still a surprise for about 80% of my family! :) I'm going to take my camera, put it on the videotaping option, and walk down that airport corridor to watch my dad's utter astonishment, befuddlement, and hopeful joy! He thinks he going with my mom to pick up my mom's sister. Muahahaha. My mom and I are the plotters of this big surprise. We've been planning it for months. It does come at a really good time, though, with my grandpa being in the hospital. Not so great weather, though, I hear. It's -20 degrees Fahrenheit with 50 MPH winds and windchill. Ewwww. Another blizzard is on the way as we speak. Double ewwww.

Well, anyway... I just had a moment of realization. I could actually conceptualize [and feel (you know, deep down in your chest where all the deep emotions lie) what felt like my heart leaping] meeting my friends again...and their reactions to seeing me when they aren't expecting to see me until July! :))))) I'm getting so very excited!

Traveling begins Thursday at 8am. A fellow teacher is driving me to a hotel in Krakow (couldn't find anyone to drive me to the airport at 2:30 Friday morning...wonder why?). So I'll spend the day in Krakow (probably at the hotel), and I'll call a taxi eeeeearly in the morning to drive me a few kilometers down the road to the airport where I'll begin the next stage of my journey. Twenty-four hours later, I should be carrying that camera down the corridor with me! Woo!

And tomorrow I get to show our newest missionary to Poland around our area. She arrived safely Sunday afternoon. In addition to helping her around, helping her to get acquainted with new surroundings, we'll get to meet up with the other two girls who are serving nearby in the Czech Republic. It will be our first meeting alltogether! I'm pretty excited for this, too!
...and afterwards...I sleeeeep. :) What a great day tomorrow will be!

Joys

So... in all my complaining, I didn't mention some of the joys of the last few weeks/days.

My favorite:

I was invited to a good friend's house to talk with her, her daughter and her husband. She and I stayed up until 3:30am, talking in her living room. It was so wonderful.

And, to top it off, during our conversation she told me she thought I would make a wonderful mother someday. :)