(Luke 1:26-33)

January 2001

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

As we think of all of you we have a few more days before the Holiday celebrations. We are looking forward to new millennium without any Y2K panicking. This is good ending.

Samuel Anthony - a great name, however, yet smaller than a pineapple!

First, we want to joyfully share that on November 4th we became the first time GRANDPARENTS of SAMUEL ANTHONY STEIGER. Thanks for your prayers. He arrived a month early but both mother and child are doing very well. At Thanksgiving we had a wonderful celebration with our in-law's family. Now we have been enjoying his digital pictures through e-mail. Our HP Photo Smart printer finally got warmed up. Pavel even had to buy a new cartridge. We are inspecting each of the baby's details and studying visible genes passed on. We four grandparents are as odd as all fresh grandparents we know about. Of course, we are tempted to see the original product: however considering our ministry and the rapidity of little babies' changes, we have not planned to stretch our wings at this time. Our missionary friends who fly to Denver with empty suitcases each year will carry and deliver the grandmas' baby-shower madness to the parents and baby on December 14th. Klara's years-long collection of baby clothing will finally be enjoyed. About fourteen years ago her grandma instincts were activated. She started buying cute things around the globe for our future progeny. Since both of our sons remained single for longer than we expected, she has used much of her baby collection as a gift pool for new mothers as we encountered them during the past years. She still has a baby-girl collection waiting for a sweet future.

As we look back, year 2000 was quite challenging, exciting and a very good year to all of us. We can count our many blessings.

December and Holidays
Each year Klara plans to describe the local traditions. It has usually been either too early, or too late to write about them. Right now seems to be the proper time. So what is ahead in our pagan world? December the 6th all children expect a visit of a trio-Saint Nicholas (Svatý Mikulás), an angel and devil. For days kids are scared how they would stand under Santa's and devil's investigation. They usually behave better for a few days. This supernatural assembly brings to the little ones gifts (treats), usually in stockings. For bad kids the devil has some coal instead of candies. Pavel remembers his scary experiences some 55 years ago when his father used to be the Saint Nicholas, switching off all electrical fuses in their apartment to effectuate the gravity of the moment!

Right after Mikulás the baking madness starts. The, tradition of baking at least 12 different kinds of ornamented Christmas, cookies has been passing on from generation to generation. Pounds of butter, sugar, nuts, raisins, flour, dozens of eggs are all bare essentials. The smell is heavenly, and children are called upon to eat all the burned, broken and otherwise disfigured pieces. Until Christmas they sneak around usurping cookies. Klara has a perfect collection of great recipes; however, for some mysterious reason she managed to lose them. It's a very good time for friendship and fellowship between older and younger women. As Klara writes this (the last day of November) - it's all ahead of us. She hopes that her recipe collection will someway resurface in time to bake goodies with Johanka - our niece.

Adam and Eve-Generous Eve (Stedrý vecer) is celebrated on December 24th. The tree is decorated in the morning on this day. On this generous eve a festive dinner is served to the close family: 1) Crackers with honey and garlic for good health, 2) Carp soup and carp breaded steaks with potato salad (Three scales are placed into valets so that they would always be full of money.), 3) Tropical and local fruits, nuts, and cookies are served throughout the evening. Right after the dinner it's the time to open the gifts from Baby Jesus. Notice Baby Jesus is the Giver, not Saint Nicholas-Santa Claus. He had his turn on December the 6th. This custom survived even the communist era. The Czech Christmas had no room for Santa Claus until the fall of communism when the western Santa Claus invaded Christmas shopping advertisement! The very deepening of Christmas paganism came just recently from the West.

December the 25th is The First Christmas Holiday-God's Christmas Feast (Bozí hod vánocní). This is the time to receive extended family and close friends and share more gifts. They enjoy roasted goose or duckling with sauerkraut and dumplings. After that comes cups of coffee or tea and cookies, nuts and fruits.

December the 26th is The Second Christmas Holiday-Saint Steven's Day (Svatý Stepán). This is the fun day a time to visit many friends and eat much more. The ballroom season starts this very day. All this eating is followed by a few days of semi-holidays and preparation for the grand finale:

December the 31st is The Sylvester Day (Silvestr). It is celebrated with friends at home in ballrooms or in the mountain cabins. Cold cuts, smoked meats, open face sandwiches, much junk food, grog (tea with rum) and more Christmas cookies are served. It is a fun, games-filled evening of waiting for midnight. TV provides a very special program filled with singing star, popular personalities, entertainers and the final count down. Champagne corks are flying and fireworks exploding! Many people, especially youth, are in the streets celebrating. Downtown Prague is like in a war zone. After midnight comes a traditional dinner of boiled pork head, simmered ham, horseradish and all kinds of pickled treats.

The New Year (Nový rok) is usually recovery time from late-night celebration. Traditional food consists of lentils or green peas with smoked meat. Klara's mother used to make Russian borsht. It tasted so good after all the fancy foods, something pleasant and hearty.

On January the 6th is The Three Kings Day-The Wise Men (Tri králové). Holidays come to an end. It is the last day of the religious season. Catholics usually have three crosses made by chalk over the entry doorway. The Christmas tree is stripped, and .311 decorations are put away.

WHAT IS AHEAD FOR US?
As we mentioned in our last letter, we are in process to transfer radio agenda from Quito. We had to update and merge radio and magazine addresses. It was a very tedious manual job that reminded us of the Florida recount. We worked with about one thousand Quito address which had to be check against eight thousand addresses we had on file here in Prague. It took us several days. We did not compare punch cards but real names. We are glad that this work is over. The final result-adding over three hundred names.

The next step is to integrate the follow-up radio ministry and updating Ecuador web pages. Czech and Slovak letter count and e-mail contacts are eventful every day.

We are looking forward to employing a full time translator. Jan (John) Sraml should start working after New Year's Day. In September at the Quito conference, we were promised possible financial assistance for this ministry transition and a full time employee; however, as of now, there is no help in sight. Our prayer is that we can find several churches and individuals to help with ministry extension. All this work load sometimes creates a concern about what to do first-raise the funds or expand the ministry? Is all the energy and effort worth it? Yes, it is. Now we have the whole world at our fingertips. Knowing that the web ministry is international and reaches the Czech and Slovak people is a great encouragement!

* Dear sister Fialová (in Quito),
thanks for the recent letter report and for the calendar for year 2001. I have to say that your Ecuadorian information is very interesting and I enjoy them. I am interested to learn about problems in developing world, especially in South America. Each news about the current situation, how the evacuation before volcano eruption was handled or how some governmental offices work was very interesting. I visited the Czech web pages-they are so practical and full of interesting information, I will visit them regularly. Greetings,
Vera Judaszewiczová, Warsaw, Poland.

* Hello. I am interested in Slovakia, because we had an exchange student from Bratislava. His name was Juraj. He came as a Catholic. He attended a fundamental Baptist Church here with my sons. He was a fine person to have in our home. He asked why we didn't pray to Mary. We witnessed to him a lot.
I would like to get your newsletter. God bless! How did you get in this ministry?
In Christ, Dorothy, Montrose, W. V.

* Dear friends,
thanks for the magazines which I have just received. All issues are placed at the honorable place in my library, since to be read once is not enough. I will go back. The magazine is a deep well of wisdom and strength for the times when I do not know the answers. I am happy to know how this ministry has been growing.
Alois N., Týnec nad Sázavou

As we close, we feel like we share our hearts with you in a very personal way, but you are our extended and close family - His gift to us. We know that one day, we will meet in person. We thank all of you for all letters and notes during the year. We do not have time to respond as we should, but you understand. Our big thanks for those who sent us E-mail grandparent congratulations. They were very special to us.

BEST WISHES AND HIS BLESSING IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM

In HIS Sovereign Grace Pavel and Klara

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