Sztanyo Christmas Greeting 2024!
May this Christmas season be your family's
most meaningful ever! From our family to yours have a
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Dear Family & Friends,
This year our family picture is a collage of recent family pics rather than an all-in-one group shot. As many know, when grandkids become older schedules are harder to coordinate to have everyone all together at one time.
As I sit, to pen the 2024 version of our Christmas greeting, I reflect on how many times I have sat to write this letter and have been in this similar frame of mind. To be honest it is a warm reflective very good place to be. I want to start by wishing you and yours the happiest and most meaningful Christmas season of all. 2024 has been a unique year. People of faith always have a heightened focus approaching this sacred holiday. But 2024 has given us a number of major events that attracted our focus as well as seeing the visible results of God’s grace and mercy in tangible and….. faith building ways!
All year long the political world has been front and center. Many Americans, including us, have intuitively felt that this great land in which we live is on a destructive path. In so many segments of our society we long for some commons sense, virtue and a God fearing ‘turning.’ As the great song goes, “let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” In this year, Christians have collectively prayed and we have cast our cares upon the Lord in the hope that we are now having a “turning” that we certainly need. While hope has been buoyed, and Christians feel that prayers have been answered, may I suggest as we approach this Holy Holiday that we still need to ‘bend the knee’ and continue in our prayers.
In early October the Helene Hurricane spread a swath of unbelievable destruction in the high country of Western NC and Eastern TN. A member of our local Chapter of Pilots for Christ was talking with me on the phone brainstorming about that we need to help in some way. Without knowing exactly what we could do, we said ‘yes’ and committed to helping the victims somehow and someway. That began a journey of prayer, planning and flying 16 Mercy Mission Flights to the disaster zone from Cincinnati, all full of supplies, specifically asked for by our contacts in the zone. God opened all the doors and help provide all the planes, pilots and supplies. Much gratitude goes to donors, supporters and our member pilots. Yes, it truly was a God ‘thing.’ And the result was the satisfaction and blessing received for having brought necessary help to those really in need. It is a blessed thing and blessings abound, when any Child of God is used by the Lord’s army for doing good.
2024 was a good year for Barb and I and our family. Both Barb and I faced a challenge or two, but even so we found our faith stronger and that God is faithfully good! Mike and Heather, saw their 4th child, Hallie, taking driving lessons. So the large garage addition (now completed and in use for winter) couldn’t have come at a better time for this family, as all seven are doing well in Columbiaville, MI. Brian and Bridgett and fam had a high country vacation in early summer in beautiful Colorado and had a great time with lots of wildlife sightings. In the Fall, Brian and Sawyer joined in at the farm for a bow hunt and harvested a deer by bow. Eric and Wit have been thinking about, planning for and now are deeply involved in a big house addition that just got “dried in” with a new roof. They, and their 5 kids are all excited, as they should be, about the new space and seeing it becoming real from drawings on some paper.
So many times we refuse to get involved because we are not dressed correctly, not completely ready or have a feeling of inadequacy. Sometimes when our Lord is calling, we feel unprepared, unwilling and even inadequate to step forward. But Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand…..” When challenged, I often feel I don’t measure up….or don’t have the skill or I just can’t, but then I’m reminded of a beautiful saying:
Our God isn’t interested in our ability…but rather in our availability!
From our family to yours, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
And this year when we here the call of our Lord, may we all be found…… available!
Barb and Mark Sztanyo
Peace, Love and Joy!
Until next year!
For those who can't get enough...... here's a little more!
2024 Bonus Offerings
Every year we learn a little something new and wish to share something a little different. Hope you find something you enjoy.
Britt Farm History (From 1905 to 2024):
1. Online Drive with: PDF copy of the Britt Farm History book
2. Google Photos Album Links for: 7 albums of farm history photos
Helene Hurricane Disaster Relief Flights:
1. Video compilation by Eric of 12th Mercy Mission Relief Flight
2. Mark & Brian Metcalf on 1st disaster relief flight
3. Connection of delivered supplies for helicopter drop
4. Raw images from some or our 16 mission flights
Family Theatrical Videos: 3 of the 5 Ft Thomas Sztanyo's kids performed in a Dr Seus "Seusical" in May where JoJo (Rafe) finds a hat which leads way to a make believe dream of a magical Cat in the Hat (Emil) and a big Elephant named Horton who was a protector to all the Whoville little people like JoJo. Ertle the Turtle (Corin) shows up in the dream to play a judge.
1. JoJo finds a hat- https://youtu.be/RNGGQQ9YeVU?feature=shared
2. Anything is Possible - https://youtu.be/AadBM_MD89s?feature=shared
3. I Have Wings - https://youtu.be/wVIkw9KsGoc?feature=shared
4. Yertle the Turtle the JUDGE: https://youtu.be/JzklvmAN15M?si=VHsPgMv7dgDnh9xW
5. I do not like Green Eggs & Ham - https://youtu.be/6wZNS-uK2Ow?feature=shared
Wishing You the Merriest Christmas of all!
This online Christmas greeting supplements our traditional snail-mail paper version.
Please feel free to share this page with your family & Facebook friends.
2024 Christmas below!
Florence, Columbiaville, Amelia, and Ft Thomas Sztanyo's
Dressed up for a 2024 Fall Wedding L - R:
Elaina, David's girlfriend Eleanor, David, Heather, Mike, Joey, Marisa, Hallie
Dec 2nd 2024, Barb & Mark on way to the Christmas Dinner Mtg for Pilots for Christ.
2024 Summer Team Sztanyo Reds Event with a 140 attenders: Brian and Bridgett's family happily came. Sawyer on left and Bailey on right.
Eric and Wit hosts of the big Team Sztanyo Red's game event Summer of 2024.
L to R: Emil, Miriam, Witni, Eric, then front to back, Holt, Rafe & Corin.
New 30' x 40' garage for Mike and Heather and kids
New addition on Eric and Wits Ft Thomas home which just got dried in.
Thanksgiving family meal and it was good!
Early Nov 2024 Snow in KY!
Pilots for Christ collage of flying a couple of the 16 Mercy Mission Helene Hurricane Relief Flights we flew to the disaster zone. Aerial shot of airport is Ashville, NC.
Below: Winter decorations at our home in Florence, KY, Come on by and say hi
After over a year of compiling, studying and research, I finally finished a family project of love, the writing and recording of the 4 generations involved in the history of the Britt Farm, Turner, MI through our current day. This project was intended to be a Christmas Gift for the 4th generation sibblings, but it was printed and distributed as an early gift in late summer of 2024. See Bonus Section below for LINKS to docs and pics involved in the research.
