There are more than 4800 kilometers separating the United States of America and Slovakia. The size in area of Slovakia is less than 5% of that of the United States. America and Slovakia have different histories, school systems, and cultures. There are so many differences, but it DOES NOT MATTER!
Many people in Slovakia see Thanksgiving as an American celebration which has religious overtones. This year, everyone at the Center for Christian Education met together to celebrate Thanksgiving this November (CCE means Lutheran preschool, Lutheran elementary school and Lutheran high school which we called simply “Lutheran Academy”. Bible school and the two study programs at the University in Zilina are included at CCE). All of us gave thanks to our Lord for the many blessings we received from Him this year.
The story of the Thanksgiving holiday was presented through drama. The main actor was Martin Benjamin Chandler, an American teacher at the Lutheran Elementary School in Martin. Benjamin portrayed a pilgrim who fled from Europe in the 1600s because of religious persecution. Another important role in the drama was that of a Native American, who was played very well by our Slovak teacher Lubos. Musical accompaniment was directed by Matt Hafar, another American teacher at the Lutheran Academy.
Slovaks in the audience were touched by the sweet story and the performance of the actors. We had a chance to see a wonderful story of reconciliation and friendship, and were reminded of early presidents of the United States, who spoke of the importance of Thanksgiving and declared it a national holiday. After the program, we all shared a wonderful Thanksgiving meal.
Everyone enjoyed this time together with family and friends, but we also loved that wonderful dinner, made with “feast for the eyes” dishes—including turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie! There are no words or pictures to explain just how much we enjoyed this Thanksgiving evening!
We thank God for a wonderful evening with all our friends from the Center for Christian Education. He has met all our daily needs—in great abundance!
Thank you, Lord, for your love, for our daily food prepared by loving hands, for life, friendship, and for our freedom of religious expression.
What a great idea to do this in Slovakia,too. We all have so much to be thankful for!I am thankful for the wonderful friends I have in Martin at the Bible School. God has blessed me so much by letting me get to know you.