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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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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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Ministry in the Days of the Coronavirus Pandemic

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Things happened fast in Slovakia from Monday to Friday, with news coming everyday about how the coronavirus was spreading throughout the world and governments began taking drastic steps. On Monday morning I held my last class on campus before switching to online only. Here’s how the coronavirus is affecting our family and ministry in Slovakia.

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Januflecting on 2017–18: Transitioning Back to Ministry in Slovakia

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Janus was the Roman god of transitions. With his two faces he stood in the gate of time and looked with one face toward the past and one toward the future. He gave his name (according to some) to the month of January since this is the time of year we like to januflect—evaluate our past and make adjustments for the future. If you are praying for us, this is a good post to read to understand how best to pray for our ministry and family.

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