Memory Verse:

“I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak” (Exodus 4:12).

Dear Grandchildren,

Today I will tell you about the first summer that I spent with my new American family, Rev. Dwight McKune and his wife, Ethel. Mrs. McKune knew some German, but it was very limited, so it was difficult for her to understand me. Once she asked me what my hobby was, what I would really enjoy doing that summer. I tried to explain that I would love to do some painting, and that if I had paints, I would paint her a picture. It was a long time before I could make it clear to them what I meant. I kept saying the German word Farben, which means “paint” in English. I pointed to my lips and kept repeating the word Farben, and finally Mrs. McKune said,

“Oh! Paints! Bild!” (which means “picture”).

I said, “Ja, Ja, Ja!” (which means “Yes, yes, yes!”).

They bought me oil paints, but I had only used watercolors in Poland. I knew it would be rather difficult to explain that I had never used oil paints, so I went ahead and taught myself how to do it. I had a very lovely little postcard of a little boy praying which I brought from Poland, and I painted that picture for them. They were impressed, even though I’m sure it was very amateurish. I painted that small picture for several people, one of whom was Mrs. McKune’s mother.

Mrs. McKune loved her mother dearly and always talked about her. That summer we all went to her family’s home on a farm in Indiana. I loved her family at once. She had such wonderful parents, and they treated me as though I was important. My favorite was her father, Ezra, who was from a German background. Since he could still speak a lot of German, we could understand each other more than anyone else. Every time he came home from the field, he would ask, “And where is Jadwiga?” Both of Mrs. McKune’s parents were very humble Christians. I loved spending summers on their farm after I started college.

Mrs. McKune worked in the Women’s Missionary Society and spoke at many conferences. The first summer she spoke at New Wilmington, Pa. I went there with the McKunes in August. After that we went to another conference in New Concord, Ohio, where Muskingum College was located. Dr. Montgomery asked me to sing a song in Polish to the whole conference as a way of introducing me to the people who filled the gymnasium.

Before I sang, I went alone to a small room and asked the Lord that He would help me to stop being so frightened. I knew that I couldn’t possibly utter any sound in front of all those people. Then Dr. Montgomery came in. He put his arm around me and said, “Don’t be afraid, Jadwiga, you’ll be all right.” He led me to the platform, and I sang in a very small voice, “Gooraloo, Chee Chi nye Zhal…”

—Grandma Nadzia

Questions

1. Have you ever had trouble getting someone to understand you?

2. Have you ever been nervous about talking to people?

3. God can give you power to speak. Ask a grownup to read you Exodus 4:10-12.