Croatia Update

Full swing of school, life in Osijek, back upon us

By Nancy Titus

RCA Missionary to Croatia

Now that we are back in the thick of things here in Croatia after our fabulous trip to Italy, we are again hard at discovering a little rhythm to our lives – though scheduling as we used to know it in the United States remains beyond our reach.

We are all deep into the second semester of school. The kids are doing well, though not without problems. Valerie has finally caught up in math (she was behind because in Croatia they do multiplication and division in the second grade, while her U.S. schools did it in third). Her teacher told me she is making good process in all her subjects. Penny, in the first grade, also is keeping up with the work of the class, including writing in cursive with a real fountain pen. They are both making great progress in learning Croatian.

We have started a new effort to get regular communication with Samuel’s teachers and are hopeful that this will help him to be more engaged in what goes on in the classroom. For the first semester, his teachers were content to let him just be in the room and listen to the Croatian around him without requiring too much from him. Several of his teachers could not communicate with him at all since they do not speak English. This is a critical time for Samuel. He has learned a great deal of the Croatian language – he is by far the best in the family – but he still does not have enough language ability to get much out of the curriculum since it is completely in Croatian. We ask that you pray especially this semester that his teachers, his tutor, and us, his parents, will be wise about how we handle the situations that come before us. We want to encourage him as well as provide whatever support he needs to benefit from the education the Croatians can provide. We also seek wisdom to know if this method is not adequate for his needs. We know that he always will need some additional work – in English and U.S. history, at the very least – and want to provide that in the least stressful way possible.

Over at the seminary, I have welcomed a new English professor. He is a young man, planning to begin graduate work in the fall, and has come to volunteer one semester teaching English. This was such a godsend! My other two volunteers had only committed to help out the first semester. One was planning to return, but a family situation sent him back to the States at the last minute. This new volunteer comes with lots of English skills right where we need them – in the area of writing. Our students need a lot of work there! He also lives in the dorm with the students and has made some large strides already in budding cross-cultural friendships. His insights as “one among them” are invaluable to me as I try to develop courses that are most beneficial for both our students’ immediate and future English needs.

Eric just returned from a trip to Prague, where he met with his mentor for his doctoral program and did some much needed research and writing. He had been planning to go to Prague a little later, but hastily arranged this trip to take advantage of a car that was going to there anyway for a conference at another seminary in town. This trip helped Eric focus on his doctoral work, which sometimes gets shoved aside here in Osijek due to the pressing immediate needs of the seminary. He taught three courses last semester, and will be teaching one this semester, despite efforts to keep clear of teaching responsibilities so he can focus on his doctorate. In addition, he preaches weekly at the new church in Tvrđa, the old part of town, runs a weekly small group, and performs occasional other duties, such as filling in at the last minute for sick chapel speakers.

The seminary is at a crossroads in a number of areas, and we ask you to pray especially for wisdom and fortitude for some major decisions that are being made in coming days. Pray that this institution will be all that God wants it to be for His glory in this troubled region.

As for our trip to Italy, well, it was wonderful! We got some much-needed change of scenery! Rome, Tuscany, Florence, Assisi. Wow! It truly was stunningly beautiful. We went for a retreat with other RCA missionaries and their kids, which encouraged all our spirits as well. Thanks for making this possible by your continued faithful support! God bless you!