![\"SONY](\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/DSC01609.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Dear Friend,<\/p>\n
I arose while it was still dark this Christmas morning,<\/p>\n
Made my way past the children who were still soundly\u00a0snoring,<\/p>\n
Sat down on the couch and looked at the tree.<\/p>\n
It was quiet and peaceful as far as I could see.<\/p>\n
But then I remembered the news of war<\/p>\n
of bombings and killings just the day before.<\/p>\n
Presents and parties are all good and fun<\/p>\n
But they can’t stop the evil that comes from a barrel of a gun.<\/p>\n
Another stuffed animal or a shiny new toy<\/p>\n
Won’t replace a father who will never again see his boy.<\/p>\n
Santa Claus outfits and all the Christmas cheer<\/p>\n
Won’t erase the anger and hatred we’ve seen this year.<\/p>\n
So tell me please, with war all around where is the joy of Christmas?<\/p>\n
Can we really find something good in this malevolent business?<\/p>\n
Yes, there’s reason for hope and joy this year<\/p>\n
If you carefully listen it’s not hard to hear.<\/p>\n
It happens beyond the clatter of AK-47s<\/p>\n
It’s the prayers of saints going up to the heavens!<\/p>\n
It’s the sound of the church standing to her feet<\/p>\n
Ready to serve and unafraid of persecution to meet.<\/p>\n
It’s preaching of the gospel to the broken and the lost<\/p>\n
It’s the testimony of hearts that have melted at the cross!<\/p>\n
No, war can’t take away the peace and joy of forgiveness<\/p>\n
And that’s what only Jesus can give us at Christmas!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Dear Friend,<\/p>\n
I arose while it was still dark this Christmas morning,<\/p>\n
Made my way past the children who were still soundly\u00a0snoring,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[36],"tags":[59],"class_list":["post-4820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","tag-christmas"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/DSC01609.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3izZc-1fK","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4865,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/a-christmas-greeting-from-ukrainian-president-petro-poroshenko\/","url_meta":{"origin":4820,"position":0},"title":"A Christmas Greeting from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"January 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It's Christmas Eve here in Ukraine. After preaching in our Christmas Eve service I came home and was relaxing a bit when I came across this Christmas greeting by Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko. I was so impressed with it that I decided to translated his words and send it to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ukraine"","block_context":{"text":"Ukraine","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ukraine-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/petro.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/petro.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/petro.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8828,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/christmas-greetings-2017\/","url_meta":{"origin":4820,"position":1},"title":"Christmas Greetings from the Suko Family 2017","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"December 23, 2017","format":"video","excerpt":"Dear friends we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas this year! We are indeed grateful for your love, prayers, and support. As we look back on 2017 it's clear to see God's leading hand in our lives. This year took us to the US were we have had\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Family"","block_context":{"text":"Family","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/family\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Screen-Shot-2017-12-21-at-2.40.25-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Screen-Shot-2017-12-21-at-2.40.25-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Screen-Shot-2017-12-21-at-2.40.25-PM.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Screen-Shot-2017-12-21-at-2.40.25-PM.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Screen-Shot-2017-12-21-at-2.40.25-PM.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28420,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/the-secret-of-the-christmas-tree\/","url_meta":{"origin":4820,"position":2},"title":"The Secret of the Christmas Tree","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"January 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Abby, Dabby, and Labby woke early on Christmas morningQuietly, they tiptoed past their father\u2019s loud snoringIn the living room stood the Christmas tree, bright and tallBut what they saw was not the tree, oh, not at all! This silent green giant held a secret in its boughsYet the shining presents\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/604759098_10164453700629809_6074044429133929318_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/604759098_10164453700629809_6074044429133929318_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/604759098_10164453700629809_6074044429133929318_n.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/604759098_10164453700629809_6074044429133929318_n.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2023,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/why-we-celebrate-christmas-on-january-7th\/","url_meta":{"origin":4820,"position":3},"title":"Why We Celebrate Christmas on January 7th","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"January 8, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm still surprised by how many people don't know that December 25th is not Christmas in Ukraine! When I tell them that we celebrate on January 7th the usual response I get is, \"Oh,\u00a0so two weeks later?!\" Then I say, \"No, we celebrate 50 weeks earlier than the West!\" That's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Family"","block_context":{"text":"Family","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/family\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/DSC02165.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/DSC02165.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/DSC02165.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1916,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/so-how-was-your-christmas\/","url_meta":{"origin":4820,"position":4},"title":"So How was Your Christmas?","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"December 27, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Christmas is over, at least in the West. The day after Christmas shouldn't be a downer. It should be just as joyful as the day before Christmas! The Messiah has come, he is here, our God is with us, Emmanuel! One thing we really like about living in Ukraine is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Family"","block_context":{"text":"Family","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/family\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DSC01796.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DSC01796.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DSC01796.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6116,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/merry-christmas-from-the-sukos-in-ukraine\/","url_meta":{"origin":4820,"position":5},"title":"Merry Christmas from the Sukos in Ukraine","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"December 25, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Christina and I want to wish you and your family a merry Christmas this year. May today be a true celebration of the birth of the Savior who came to live and die and save the lost. The truth of Christmas is why we are here in Ukraine! Thank you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ministry"","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Screen-Shot-2015-12-25-at-11.50.47-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Screen-Shot-2015-12-25-at-11.50.47-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Screen-Shot-2015-12-25-at-11.50.47-PM.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Screen-Shot-2015-12-25-at-11.50.47-PM.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Screen-Shot-2015-12-25-at-11.50.47-PM.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4820"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4823,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4820\/revisions\/4823"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}