Such is the confidence which we have through Christ in the presence of God; not that of ourselves we are competent to decide anything by our own reasonings, but our competency comes from God. It is He also who has made us competent to serve Him in connection with a new Covenant, which is not a written code but a Spirit, for the written code inflicts death, but the Spirit gives Life.
(2 Corinthians 3:4-6)

Ricany, May 1995

Dear Friends and Partners,

Where do I start? Just a week ago I returned from a trip I neither planned nor desired. Our Slovak translator of the magazine we publish had a last opportunity to visit her sister and brother-in-law in Cairo, Egypt, before their transfer to another embassy. She needed an interpreter. Thus, my husband Pavel sent me, so I could escape from this winter weather and recover from our moving ordeal.

Let me briefly share some of my impressions. I am not exactly an archeology enthusiast but my friend is. She did all the research. Hunting for little details on large stones and walls was great fun. Sometimes we drove our tour operator and ever changing guides out of their comfort zone. In some places they stayed down at the entrance, and both of us made the hike to see one more treasure. The crane on the restoration site in Luxor looked like a toy surrounded by such impressive walls and columns. Truly, without the knowledge of what to look for, all the stones and reliefs would look alike. When we were on our own, the unofficial guides took us to the work site places. The ladder looked rather shaky and seeing the depth we chickened out. The unofficial guides were glad to get some baksheesh. Official guides tend to skip what is offered on the tour. Most people do not even notice it. Guides prefer the kind of tourists who like to say 'I was there". No matter how hard you try to see it all, ft is only a small fraction of what is buried there. The Valley of the Kings and the pyramids are just a grain of dust, a small part of a great history. Amazing preoccupation with afterlife is displayed in Egypt, in contrast to the simple burial sftes in Israel. Only Jesus was raised from His grave. Pharaohs' burial places were looted and their mummies are still dead. Now I can understand the warnings to Jews not to serve other gods. To root out the worship of many gods, animal-like or human-like, our Lord ' no wonder, had to intervene.

Since we were so close to Israel, we could not miss the opportunity. All the time someone was trying to talk me into going to Israel, I always replied: "I can wait I will see the new Jerusalem. " Now I have seen the old one as well. Pavel was in Israel in 1979 and I am sure that he would be amazed how it has changed. The past and present of Egypt and Israel ought to be seen together. It is woven together too closely. To see only one of them is just half of the story.

Political and military tension on all sides is a daily reality. There was a big demonstration just under the windows of our King David Hostel. This was a strategic location and a lot of things happened right at our intersection or at a nearby synagogue, just a few yards from us. I could not believe how orderly the demonstration against repeated Palestinian attack on buses in Hebron was. The soldiers, horse-riding police and demonstrators all respected their roles. There was neither fighting nor stone throwing nor vandalism. In the morning there was no sign of trash nor horse muffins.

It looked like all the important heads, including Prince Charles, were following our steps in Egypt and Israel. The Vice-president, Al Gore, stayed at the King David Hotel (not hostel like we did). The security procedures influenced even our travel schedule.

The Old town of Jerusalem was lovely. It was very hard to evoke spiritual feelings while walking through biblical places. All the official holy places were full of homo-touristicus. Those sites are dominated by all kinds of churches. Somehow I felt suspicious when six different denominations say - this is the place. It almost shows that the real place is for sure somewhere else. We had more fun just to observe and browse on our own. This was the first time in my life that I was burdened by crowds of people. I was hoping that I would bump into someone I know, but it wasn't to be in Israel. It happened on the bus from Cairo to Tel Aviv. Czech-Americans, friends of our friends from Seattle, shared the ride with us.

I was impressed by the vitality of Israel. It is a strong and confident nation not expecting the rest of the world to solve their problems. It is a young nation with a mature vision. People are disciplined, no hanky panky, no punks or other individuals roaming the streets like in other countries. Evenings in Jerusalem's walking zone were charming. We could hear the Russian language all around. Our paths crossed several times with a group of American marines. This was their last outing before deployment. They represented the US very well and a number of them bought a diamond right there for their future engagement ring. For sure they were more considerate than other groups.

The holocaust memorial and the top of Masada represented truly special moments. How brave the people of Masada were. How cowardly were those who were responsible for the concentration camps. One and a half million children perished in the holocaust. How sinful men can be! Today most of our nations have a valley of hell, like the one in Israel, where children were sacrificed.

The Sea of Galilee and the boat ride were great. I even tried to walk on the water - steps into the lake supported my feet. The Dead sea is the most exotic stop. Floating in the water was something like being in space. Later on my skin turned black - not from the sun but by a special mud. You should see the fun most visitors had.

Now when I read the Old testament, I can see the whole scenery alive. I can follow in my mind the topography and geography of the area. The fascinating life of Bedouins is like stepping back two thousand years. Herds of sheep, goats, camels and shepherds roam the desert like in Jesus' time. To travel, move and walk from one place to another was not easy then and ft is not easy now. To go all the way to Egypt took a lot of energy and time. In Egypt you can see writings on the walls and in the tombs. Those messages are as dead as their concept of eternal life. Numerous messages were engraved with great care. The ages preserved vanity but only the Lord preserved for us the living Word. It is as significant as when it was written. The Jews are back in Jerusalem. The empty tomb of Jesus is much more mighty than the pyramids.

In Egypt and Israel you see, side by side, synagogue, church and mosque - Judaism, Christianity and Islam. So close and at the same time so far apart. What a difference between the brothers! Over and over we were asked in Israel: "Please, pray for peace." Yes, the peace treaties are signed, but in reality Israel made so many concessions to the Arabs that there is no room left for one more. At one point Israel is down to a width of 10 miles. The Arabs want more. Sooner or later we can expect another 'Six days war'. We were stopped and checked many times, saw barricades, soldiers and guns. It is wonderful to know that the future of Israel is in the hands of the Lord and not in the hands of men. In many ways there is a great similarity between Israel and our country. I wish our country would have the vitality of Israel. Instead, we are a part of the European historical museum, prostitution and drug dealers' heaven.

In Cairo we went to the museum twice and I found my special objects of interest, including King Tut's treasures which I saw the first time in Los Angeles about 15 years ago. I admired the exhibition twice in the museum, and in the Valley of the Kings, Tut's burial chamber. I was also looking for a flywheel and a model of an airplane. Yes, both were found in the pyramids and you must stretch your imagination to see anything else in ft than a perfect metal flywheel. Incidentally the same shape was recently designed by engineers - but archeologists call it a lotus vase. The model of the plane (it could be a flying fish) is a little wood carving with a vertical tail and a wide wing span. In other cases a fish looks like a fish and a bird looks like a bird.

We enjoyed sunny days. The weather was perfect for all our travels, while here at home we had more snow and cold. Our landlords were expecting my return to bring some sunshine. I did. A few days later, snow and wind again made the days nasty.

Back home - now I wonder if it is worth going away from all the work here. It took me two days to open and sort the letters. I was overdosed by the ministry impact. When I receive the letters day by day, I can digest them, but a longer period of time is overwhelming. How long it will take before I answer some of them I do not know. Again we are desperately searching for administrative help. So far no clue. Somehow people here talk more than work. Everybody is very busy.

Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is abundant, but the reapers are few".
(Matthew 9:37)

MINISTRY REPORT

First of all we thank you for your faithfulness in prayer because it keeps us going. Again I did not have time to send personal thanks to all of you or answer your letters. When you write back to us, sometimes we must laugh. Personal imaginations work in different ways. It is true that our house is lacking a lot of city services we normally take for granted, but don't worry. Our bathrooms are quite nice, and the well water is good enough to flush the toilet and for laundry.

I have a hard time keeping track of past lectures, debates, and church services. They just come and fly by. We must slow down because I am running out of strength.

HEALTH NEEDS:

In the past two months we received about twenty death announcements amongst our readers. It is more than normal in one year. Our friends Renata and Ota Vozeh, former Trans World Radio personalities, are facing difficult times. Renata underwent surgery and chemotherapy for cancer. We worked together for years and we met the last time in August of last year.

Our Slovak distributor is doing better. Thanks for your prayers. Another close and young friend, Milan, who was a vital part of our Bible study group and published a small magazine for the handicapped people we have among our readers is hospitalized with leukemia. There are several other people in serious conditions. We praise the Lord that all of them are His children and we are sad because they are also faithful servants here.

PRAISES:

• The law for compulsory sex education was repealed for now. We were able to mobilize a few more people.
• The impact of Ken Ham's book GENESIS is great. Half of the printing is among the readers and more letters and orders are coming.
• Broadcasting on state Radio in Pilsen continues with regular programming and a once a month live show. Letters are pouring in. More radio openings are on the horizon but we don't know how we will handle all the openings and requests. I suppose we leave this earth with tired engines but great mileage.

VISITORS:

Our dear friend Peter came again to visit in April (a little romance started here). Even our niece has an American boyfriend. Quite often we are asked to be matchmakers.

In June, Ed Giesbrecht (HCJB personnel) is coming to check on us. We are looking forward to spending a few days with him. Ed is a great friend and gentleman.

I don't count the local visitors. A few days ago Pavel said: 'I would like to see so many people, but we have no time.' To start building new personal friendships all over again is more and more difficult. We are too busy even to take care of each other. We can see this year just flying by.

He it is who rescued us from so imminent a death, and will do so again; and we have a firm hope in Him that He will also rescue us in all the future.
(2 Corinthians 1:10)

In His Service

The Steiger's

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