Long-time resident to make mission trip to Slovakia
By Caitlin Bittner
On Aug. 13, long-time Prairie du Chien resident, Luanne Newmann, will embark on a yearlong European journey. Her destination, Bratislava, is near the border of Slovakia.
Newmann applied to teach abroad through the Global Teach organization in January. “I’ll be teaching religion and conversational English,” said Newmann.
Although she’s never been to Slovakia, Newmann said that she feels up to the challenge. “I’m pretty prepared. I’ve been to Europe a few times.”
Additionally, Newmann noted that her pastor, Pastor Kyle Svennungsen, of Prairie du Chien’s St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church, had his own experiences in Slovakia. “He had an internship there and his wife was a teacher there. They’ve both told me a lot about it.”
Originally, Newmann stated that she was placed in a rural location, but she was reassigned due to a need for a religion teacher. Global Teach inquired about her abilities as a potential religion teacher, and she answered that it was right up her alley. “I was born and raised Lutheran,” said Newmann. “I’ve have lots of experience with Sunday school and Bible studies.”
Newmann insisted that, more than anything, this trip is a mission trip. “My focus will be on religion. My mission is to accompany these people, to walk with them, to learn about how they see the interaction between them and their faith,” said Newmann.
Newmann will spend her time with teenagers who would be considered high school-aged in the United States. She hopes to share the story of her faith with her students, and in return, she hopes to learn more about the river culture of the Danube River.
Newmann will leave for a special two week training course in July, and depart for Slovakia on Aug. 13. The Newmann House Bed and Breakfast will be open through the Fourth of July, but will close following the holiday. Newmann said that the future is still slightly up in the air as the assignment is only slated to last for one year, but after half a year, she will be able to choose if she wanted to return for another year. “It depends how much I miss my cats,” Neumann laughed.
