Building Bridges in the Community

By Susan Hamann

When a missionary family goes to a foreign country, one major concern is for the well being and adjustment of their children. We decided to put our two girls, Allison and Anna, in the Slovak public schools. We did this for several reasons. First, we believed that would be the best way for them to learn Slovak, thus helping them adjust and feel at home in another country. Secondly, we hoped it would be a way for all of us to be accepted as part of our community. Until this time, our girls had been homeschooled, so any kind of formal school situation was new to them.

When the first day of the 1999 school year arrived, we had been in Slovakia about five months. don't know who was more nervous, the children or Mom and Dad. The girls had learned a few words and phrases in Slovak, but we knew it would be difficult for them to sit in a classroom, not understanding the majority of what was being said. Our girls came home from school each day exhausted from the stress of trying to decipher what was going on around them. Our younger daughter was frustrated at not being able to participate to the fullest. Sometimes we spent several hours at night trying to figure out her second-grade homework (as well as do our own Slovak language study homework). There were cultural issues to deal with. For example, when it was time for P.E., the children changed into their gym clothes all together right there in the classroom. Our modest little girls were shocked.

As time passed, we all became more comfortable with the teachers, the other students, and even with the homework. Our children even looked forward to going to school. Throughout the year, we participated in as many school activities as possible such as parent-teacher meetings, Christmas and spring programs, and parent workdays. These events allowed us to socialize with teachers and other parents, and of course, practice our Slovak.

This year Allison is in the Slovak school again. Anna is home-schooled in the mornings, then goes to Slovak school for the afternoon. We are pleased with the girl's progress in the language. Friends from school come to our house occasionally to play. And most importantly, we believe we have established relationships in the community, which--we pray--will one day lead to our sharing the gospel.