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Merry Christmas 2022 from the Pattersons

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We have many things to be thankful for this year. With a war breaking out next door in Ukraine we’re thankful that there is peace here in Slovakia and we’re thankful for the opportunity to play at least a small part in helping build God’s kingdom.

Most of all, we’re thankful for the Prince of Peace who came to solve the real problem, the root problem of all problems—the problem of sin and death. This year we wish you the eyes to see and the heart to understand and receive the sign that God sent us when God became a baby wrapped in swaddlng cloths.

We also hope you’ll enjoy our annual Christmas video with some photos from our year 2022 and wishes from us to you for 2023.

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Merry Christmas from the Pattersons 2021! (video)

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This was another tough year but in our family we can testify that “for those who love God all things work together for good” (Rom 8:28) and we hope it is the same in your family. This Christmas season we hope you can celebrate the coming of the king and anticipate his second coming. And may these two great events profoundly shape your present.

We hope you enjoy our family Christmas video again this year. Every year I say this is the last year and with Elisabeth now off to college next year’s is certainly going to be different. We’re glad she’s home now and we had the chance to go through all twelve video greetings.

Blessings to you and your family in 2022!

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Elisabeth’s Final Violin and Voice Recital

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Elisabeth has now finished up her final year of high school and she’s performing in her final voice and violin recitals while she gets ready to transition to college.

This summer we will be coming back to the States for our scheduled home assignment and in August just three of us will return to Slovakia. Elisabeth will remain in the States to start her college career and study voice performance at Wheaton College. I guess that makes these the last recordings of recital performances that I’ll be posting as a family update.

In the first video Elisabeth plays her final recital piece (Adagio by Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály) for her violin teacher Beata Bieliková and in the next she sings Giacomo Puccini’s O mio babbino caro, which is an Aria from his opera Gianni Schicchi.

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Merry Christmas 2020 from the Pattersons (video)

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What a year! At this time last year we had no idea what 2020 had in store and I think most of us feel like 2021 can’t possibly be worse (and, at the same time, that it very well might be!).

Despite all the trials of 2020, the social distancing for the holidays, and the uncertainties ahead, we wish you a peace that passes understanding during this holiday season and all of 2021.

Immanuel!

God is with us!

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The Little Girl with the Big Voice

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I can still remember holding that tiny little baby (5.0 lbs, 16.75 in) and thinking to myself, only eighteen years with her! Well, time has flown by and Elisabeth turned eighteen in June. Since Slovakia has a thirteen year school system she still has one more year to go, but she’s looking to the future: college in the States, developing her voice talents and driving (have to be 18 in Slovakia).

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Merry Christmas from the Pattersons! (video)

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We hope that during this holiday season you’ll take the time to remember the greatest miracle that has ever taken place in creation–God became flesh, the Holy One took on the sins of all the world. And he did it so that you and I can be reconciled to him and dwell forever in his Holy Presence to experience blessing and peace and joy forever.

From all of us in the Patterson house we wish you a wonderful Christmas season and blessed 2020.

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Max Switches to the Blues

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Max was getting tired of his classical guitar training so he decided to take a break this year. We hated for him to give up the guitar completely so we got him hooked up with a British guitar teacher here in Banská Bystrica who focuses on the blues.

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