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Šťastný nový rok!! Happy New Year!
Yes, this procrastinator extraordinaire realizes that her December newsletter and January greetings are a little (or a lot!) late – Sorry! I wish you all the best in the new year and “I wish you lots of happiness, health, luck and (especially) love.” This is the Slovak greeting I heard about 40 times around New Years and willingly passed my germs along by accepting firm handshakes, kissing the acquaintances cheeks, giving them my biggest smile and saying “Happy New Year!” in English and in Slovak.
Once again, thank you to all of you who are supporting me! Thank you especially to all of those who sent me Christmas cards and email greetings. A taste of home made my Christmas all the more sweet. I’m praying that your month is filled with surprises and blessings! Here in Slovakia we are having an abnormally warm winter and so I’m grateful for the “April-like” days and the chances for beautiful walks or jogs in the hills. Last night there was a blanket of stars that stretched across the night sky and I thought of all the people in my life that have been like those bright stars! Shining examples of God’s light. You are wonderful! Know that I’m praying for you and thinking of you all often!
So...to steal a goofy phrase from my Dad....”Let’s get this show on the road!” I hope you enjoy this month’s reflections and pictures. I have a lot to share with you and my pictures (yes, there’s lots) are evidence of my adventures!
Ahhh “Christmas time” in Vrbovce – hope you have time to take a look!
Click here to see what I experienced for Christmas in Slovakia:
I hope you have time to read on :)
May you draw closer to God and the ones around you in this New Year,
Katka
aka- Katy, Kate, Katypants, Ytak, Superwoman, Captain Sandy Shoes...
Serving in Slovakia
Stories of a Volunteer in Vrbovce
December 2006
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.” ~John 8:12
There’s an orange in my shoes! A snip-it about St. Mikulaš Day
On the evening on December 5th, while sitting in Kristina and Dušan’s kitchen cutting cookies out with a cookie cutter Kristina – out of no where – asks me if I have clean shoes. A little bit of an odd question in my thinking, but Dušan’s laughter tells me that there is more to this than simply my slightly muddy tennis shoes. Kristina goes on to tell me – on the night of December 5th, St. Mikulas (a character that looks a lot like Santa Claus) comes to each home and leaves treats for kids (if they’ve been good) in their shoes. I learned later at the school that a devil and an angel also tag along with Mikulaš and that the angel comes to save the children from the devil and the devil, traditionally, leaves a paddle in the shoes of the parents – for...uhm...discipline purposes. So, on the morning of December sixth I passed by my Sunday shoes and....low and behold....in my shoes was a sack filled with fruit and chocolate! I thanked my Mikulaš many times over during my breakfast that morning!
Christmas in Vrbovce
Spending Christmas here in Vrbovce was one of the highlights of my stay so far in Slovakia. I really enjoyed (and was very curious about) learning about the rituals and traditions of another culture. I loved singing hymns, some familiar and many new, in Slovak. I found it fascinating to compare the differences and similarities between my home culture and the one I’m now immersed in. And I will delve deeper into those in here shortly.... but I first want to comment on two things that I felt I learned over the holiday season. 1) That traditions create a sense of belongingness in an individual and cultivate a longing to reflect and rejoice. 2) That the hope and love found in the birth of the Christ Child transcends cultural boundaries.
Familiar traditions bring a sense of security and belonging. It’s true – I missed some of my Christmas traditions. I missed Christmas lights brightening up the streets. I missed long car rides and conversations with my mom while doing some last minute Christmas shopping. I missed playing (and winning of course) games of Yahtzee or Mario Kart with my brother. And I missed listening to my Dad sing “Silent Night” in German at the Christmas Eve Service. My list could go on and on. Being part of new traditions can also create a sense of belonging (and it sure cultivated my curiosity!) I found that I wasn’t thinking of home as often while I was actively participating in traditions here as well. But in the week before and the week after the Christmas holiday – I often dreamt of home, often called home (what a phone bill my parents must have!) and often prayed for those at home. By being able to anticipate and participate in something that celebrates a holiday you find a sense of belonging, a feeling of love, and a familiar warmth in your heart. Do you agree?
So like I said, I found that the days I was busy experiencing new and different traditions were filled with excitement and fun. Let me tell you a little about Christmas here in Vrbovce. Like schools in the U.S. the grammar school here in the village and the high school in Senica took two weeks off from school. In preparation for Christmas I tried and helped around the parsonage and around Kristina and Dušan’s house as much as I could. And of course I did a little Christmas shopping of my own – enjoying Christmas tunes in Slovak while I searched through the small stores in Myjava for gifts and wrapping goods. Once my presents were wrapped – a few days before Christmas Eve, I was still saddened by the fact that there still wasn’t a Christmas tree in our house...so I decorated a small wrapping paper tree and taped it to my bedroom wall – with ornaments of family/friend photos. Several days passed and still no tree. There were only a few lights that decorated the houses on our street and there wasn’t any snow. My soul cried out “when will it feel like Christmas?” The day before Christmas Eve I helped Kristina clean and decorate the house for Christmas. Who knew Christmas cleaning could be so fun?! She turned on some Slovak Christmas tunes and we were off – laughing at falling curtains, our constant interruptions (oh, about every 15 minutes) or visits from neighbors, and Kristina standing on a wobbly table dusting her little heart out. How come that laughter and conversation made it feel more like Christmas? Katy ponders....we’ll come back to that.
So that evening as I was finishing hanging the bright red curtain in the living room, Kristina bursts in a says “Katka! Pod sem! (Come here!)” Dusan had brought us a tree! I guess Kristina hadn’t thought we were going to have one either – but Dusan surprised us and lugged the fragrant pine (??) in and fixed it in a stand in the living room– telling us that it had come from a long, long ways...our back yard! Kristina got out decorations and lights and tinsel and I was (happily!) set to work decorating. Dusan, after warming up, came into the living room and helped me hang candies (no candy canes, but little candies wrapped in plastic), glass balls and lights. All in the opposite order of what I would have systematically done, but as he told me stories from when he was little and as we quietly turned on the lights to show Kristina our finished project...yet again I thought....”why is that warm feeling in my heart that I get at Christmas time stronger...than before?”
On Christmas Eve we all lolled about the house all day, not eating a lot to save room for the big traditional dinner in the evening. We watched “rozpravky” (Slovak fairy tales) on television and Kristina was busy cooking up a storm. At five o’clock, dressed in our finest, we attended the Christmas Eve service at the church (which I will talk about in a little bit) and then came back with Miroslav (the pastor and my supervisor) for Christmas Eve dinner. (more like a feast!) We had soup first, of course. And then ate a delicious turkey (although I hear that in some Catholic families, it’s tradition to have carp!) followed by kapustnica (cabbage soup/stew) and potato salad. We ate a traditional dish call “pupaky” – which is a dumpling type dish with lots and lots of poppy seeds in it. Coffee, tea, and lots of cookies and cakes made by Kristina followed the meal and then we went into the living room for presents. I was quite thrilled with my gifts, especially the ones from Kristina and Dusan. I received my very own “papucky” (house shoes/slippers) and my own “spevnik!” (church hymnal) I was even more delighted though at the smiles and jokes that were passed around the room as we opened presents. As laughter and conversation, jokes and smiles filled the evening with joy, I couldn’t help but think...”this feels like Christmas....”
The next day, on Christmas morning, we attended the service at the church and then scurried on home to be greeted by Kristina and Dusan’s two sons, their wives, and the four grandchildren. The children had been anxiously awaiting “babka” (grandma) and “dedko” (grandpa) so that they could open their presents from “jezisku” (no presents from Santa – but rather from Baby Jesus! How cool!) I had gotten the two older children “Uno” cards and hadn’t known that their parents were thinking the same thing! So the children had a good laugh at the fact that Baby Jesus brought them two games each! Christmas Day was then filled with more delicious food, wonderful conversations, and playing with my new little Slovak cousins. By the end of the day, after chatting with a good friend and my parents on the phone, I could feel my heart overflowing with hope and joy. This was Christmas – the celebration of Christ’s entry into our world. The love and joy found in laughter, conversation, song, and play were what filled my heart with hope. The knowledge that Christ’s love comes to us whoever and where ever we are gave can give us hope for new life. The “light of life” has come into our lives and meets us right where we are. Even the dark times of our lives, when we miss family and friends and the familiarity of home, can be filled by the light of Christ whose love fills our heart with hope.
***An “OOO FUN!” Fact of the Month***
Here in Slovakia there is no separation between church and state. Or at least not in the same way that there is in the U.S. (Yeah, this naive American girl’s jaw dropped too!) After discussing this topic with Eva, one of the women I have conversational English with, I found out that all pastors in Slovakia are paid, not by the individual congregations, but by the government. They are all paid the same salary, regardless of what parish they preside in – which is somewhere around 7000 - 8000 Sk a month. (around $250 a month) Eva said that it’s very difficult for pastors to have families without the spouse having a good second income. But...ministry isn’t about the money, is it?
Worshiping in Vrbovce
Alright – I thought I would describe what a typical service is like here at the Lutheran church in Vrbovce. And what better service to describe than the Christmas Eve Service? So here we go. On a normal Sunday in church there are usually any where from 200 to 300 people in attendance. On Christmas Eve however there were over 1,400! I arrive at this service a little early to warm up with the choir and then take a seat with them in my normal front row pew. The church in Vrbovce uses every possible space for people to sit and has a small altar area surrounded by pew on three sides. The pastor preaches from a “perch” as I like to think of the pulpit that has a spiral staircase about 15-20 ft in the air. The “organist” is placed near the front of the church, to the left of the altar area, as is the brass band (four or five men) when they play. The organist or more like “keyboardist” (the job shared by two men) currently plays a keyboard, in organ mode, that plays over the speakers, because the church’s organ is being repaired....as has been for the last couple of years.
As I sit down on the pew cushion I wait for my bottom half to start warming up! Brrr. Zima! You see, there are heaters underneath the pew to help keep the church goers warm. Heating building this large in Slovakia is very expensive so there is no kind of radiators or heating system in the church building. So most people keep their winter coat and scarf on during the service. A friend and I had a good laugh at the fact that you could wear just about anything underneath your dress coat (even your pajamas!) and a pair of dress pants and no one would ever be able to tell! And I giggled a little during the evening Advent services (held on Friday nights – when the church was even colder) when I could tell who was singing the loudest by how big a cloud of smoke/breath I could see coming out of their mouths!
I open my hymnal and glance down in surprise at seeing a bulletin or “program”! There typically aren’t any bulletins or programs in a normal service because all of the parishioners seem to have the service memorized. This was to my slight disadvantage at the beginning of my stay here but I’m quickly trying to pick up the liturgy and order of the service – as it’s almost the same every week. The hymnals are a lot smaller than what I’m used to at home and most people own their own copy of the book, although copies are also available for visitors to use. (So you can imagine my delight! as I got to take my “spevnik” in my purse with me after Christmas!)
As the service begins I enjoy listening to the new melodies and try my best to sing the Slovak words with vigor. The choir belts out a solid rendition of “Pan Boh je Laska” (God is Love) and I sing the alto line with a small quartet for some of the verses. I try to follow the sermon given by Miroslav and pick out words like “peace, hope, joy, baby Jesus” and a couple of times look up words in my dictionary. As the sermon and prays end, the main lights go out and the lights from the Christmas trees near the altar flip on, shining brightly for all to see. The brass band begins playing “Ticho Noc” (Silent Night) and I feel my heart swelling, tears streaming down my face, and a lump forming in my throat. Some how God’s love speaks to me more through the wordless, traditional melody...than through anything else.
After singing some more songs in Slovak, finishing up the liturgy, Miroslav invites us to share the peace and have a good meal!
I’ve of course left a lot out and some of this is because I can’t understand everything. Like other Lutheran churches I’ve visited, we have Lutheran aerobics – stand up, sit down, stand up, sit back down. We have offering – but it’s not collected like I would expect – you simply walk by a small box and drop some coins in on your way to shake the pastor’s hand. I’ve only had communion once so far at this church congregation and I understand that they only have it every so often because it takes an additional hour to commune everyone. (I good topic for another newsletter :) If you have any other questions about the service please ask me! I’d love to talk about it!
Slovak 101: Lesson #4 for Family and Friends
· “love” – “laská” (pronounced “law-skaw”) This word gets me through the sermons each week and was great to be able to understand the first week how God’s love is “deep” and “high” and “long” and “wide.” ...just like a favorite song from camp.
· “peace” – “pokoj” (pronounced “po – koy”) I say this word when passing the peace.
· “joy” – “radosť” (pronounced “raw – doughst”) a word I keep an eye out for in church!
· “Lord God” - “Pan Boh” (pronounced “pawn – bow”) Literally translates to “Mr. God.”
· “God is love” “Pan Boh je laská” (pronounced “pawn – bow yay law-skaw”) The choir (that I sing with) sang a song that had a refrain with these words over Christmas time.
**Coming next month!**
Vrbovce’s dialect – special words that are completely different from Slovak!
I decided to dedicate a whole section to explaining this added challenge in my Slovak study!
Through the eyes of a child....
I have a friend named Natalka. She’s about knee high and has bright golden locks for hair. Her smile can light up a room and walking her dance tugs at my heartstrings. Natalka’s mom is a student in my Beginner English class and they live with Natalka’s father and grandparents in a quaint house here in Vrbovce. Natalka has not had an easy life so far…as she’s only 3. She’s had numerous stomach and skin problems and has to make several trips to the doctors office monthly I believe – much to her parents dismay. These problems aren’t understood though by Natalka and she rejoices in playing with stuffed animals, helping her mom learn English, and waiting for “papa” at the bus stop on his arrival home from work. Sometimes we meet and I get really excited to bend down and hear “Ahoj teta Katka!” (Hi Aunt Katka!)And since then Natalka has shown me a glimpse of what it must have been like to see Jesus for the first time – lying in a manger, a light for the whole world.
At church several weeks ago Pan Farar (Mr. Pastor, as Miroslav is called by the people of Vrbovce) was preaching a sermon that was getting a little long, we all know how those go. J So everyone knows that 3 year olds have a hard time sitting still for a long period of time…and so about ¾ of the way through the sermon I see Natalka wandering up the aisle (Miroslav waving to her from his “perch” and she waving back) and toddles up to the small manger with baby Jesus doll that is set up near the pulpit. She takes timid little steps forward, peaks her head over the manger to see what’s inside and just stares…with a look of curiosity and wonder. After a little thought she starts to reach her hand over the edge of the manager – looking back to see if her Grandma would get mad. With a joyful little smile she touches the baby Jesus’s head, pulls her hand back and turns around. With a beaming smile that set her whole face aglow she joyfully toddles back to her grandma to tell her of her wondrous discovery.
What did young Natalka discover? Can she realize that she showed me the light of Christ merely through her courageous steps to learn about the baby Jesus? How can I greet Jesus with the same wonder and awe that Natalka had? I learned in that moment, as a tear or two fell from my face, that God’s love has no boundaries, Christ’s light has no barriers. And I said a prayer that someday I would be able to see Christ like Natalka…through the eyes of a child.
May you discover Christ’s love through the light of a child.
Gods grace, peace, and joy be with you!
Katka
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