Selfless and Loving

 

            The Divine Liturgy had reached its halfway point, at which the priest emerged from the altar to deliver his homily. “We read in Scripture about the importance of loving God, loving your neighbor, caring for the sick, giving to the poor and visiting those in prison,” he said, “if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, your life must be more than simply believing particular doctrines in a mere academic sense. There must be actions accompanying your faith, love for your neighbor, and providing love and protection for those in need. Someone suggested to me that as a parish we should gather after our midday meal and discuss the details of visiting those in prison and bringing hope and love to them.”

               The priest concluded his homily by emphasizing the importance of actions being part of the life of the Christian and not merely an academic approach to taking the label “Christian” upon oneself. The homily was finished; several prayers were spoken as well as a great deal of singing by the choir. Communion was served to those who had been involved in confession either the night before or at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy. The service concluded with many prayers by the deacons, by the priests, and glorious singing by the choir.

               The holy cross of our Lord Jesus Christ was venerated and over the next several minutes, everyone gathered in the dining hall to enjoy a lovingly prepared meal. The prayer of thanksgiving was spoken and sung, everyone took their seats, enjoyed the wonderful food, and sadly a handful of people finished their food, left for their homes, and offered goodbye to their loved ones. The priest rang the bell to obtain everyone’s attention, reminding them that a brief meeting would be held to communicate how they as a parish could connect with and develop friendships with those who were currently imprisoned.

               Names and contact information were collected from those who wanted to be involved in visiting those in prison and bring hope and love to them who had no one else visiting them. The meeting came to an end, and the priest excused everyone with the assurance that once all of the details and needs were determined, everyone interested would be contacted and everything would be explained.

               The two priests and the two deacons sat together and watched as everyone left the meeting. Now with a list of twenty-five people interested in connecting with those in prison, assignments were handed out between the four men, knowing that several phone calls needed to be made with the hope that there were enough people in the men’s prison and the women’s prison who desired to receive visitors. The two priests and the two deacons interacted in a loving and friendly manner, bid one another goodbye with the promise that as everything was brought into place, all of the details would be communicated to those who were interested in being involved in prison visitation.

               Three full weeks passed and many phone calls were made to the men’s prison and the women’s prison. Both deacons learned that there were plenty of people currently incarcerated who were interested in receiving visitors. The two priests made plans to meet with those in authority in both prisons to match up visitors with current inmates. Several days passed and four meetings were scheduled, which brought about the opportunity for all twenty-five people on the list to connect with those currently incarcerated.

               The following Sunday after the Divine Liturgy and during the midday meal, the head priest communicated all that had been accomplished and called for everyone who had signed up to be involved in the prison visitation to meet with he, the other priest, and the two deacons to explain how visitation would work. “The prison has a carefully planned calendar and each person currently incarcerated has specific days that they can receive visitors. I will send out emails to everyone involved so you understand how to begin the visitation process,” he said. “This is a very good thing we are doing, there are many people currently in prison who simply have no one visiting them, this is a wonderful opportunity to love our neighbor, to bring hope and joy into someone’s life. You will receive an email with the details about how to gain permission to visit your person.”

               The head priest crafted an email with an attachment for everyone involved with their name and the name of those they would be visiting in prison. Everyone was encouraged and reminded to act quickly, fill out the necessary forms, and begin visiting as soon as possible. Six weeks passed and all twenty-five people filled out their forms, received permission to begin visiting their people on the inside. Once everyone had been approved, the head priest called another meeting and encouraged everyone to share their thoughts and their experience as they visited with and interacted with those currently incarcerated.

               Over the next three months, many stories were shared, many wonderful situations were explained as a radical change was seen in the lives of those who were being visited. Fifteen of the original twenty-five volunteers were excited to share that the people they had been visiting would be released within the next month to begin a life of productivity, a life that contributed something of value to their society, with plans of new employment, new relationships and wonderful interaction.

               Over time, many of those who were being visited began to occasionally attend the Divine Liturgy and became like family with everyone in the parish. As the weeks began to pass, the parish consistently saw fifteen people begin regularly attending, sharing their excitement and thankfulness for the kindness shown to them over the last many months. Eventually all fifteen of these new attendees, chose to be baptized and become part of the parish. After the large baptismal service, a large celebration was planned with a great deal of beautifully prepared food, dessert, and drinks. Everyone in the parish attended the baptismal service and with great joy celebrated with the inclusion of so many new people into the parish.

               As the months continued to flow past, the new members began to connect and interact with many in the congregation and began bringing family members and friends in their excitement as being part of a loving and kind community. The head priest paid careful attention to the lifestyles and attitudes of the new members, encouraging them to spend more time in prayer and the reading of Scripture than in social media or watching the news. Many in the parish began to notice a difference in the way that the new members spoke, acted, and interacted with others, thrilled at the radical change that was taking place in their lives.

               Ten of the fifteen new members met with the head priest to discuss the idea of them continuing the effort of visiting those currently incarcerated, knowing that the kindness they received from those in the parish helped them move toward lives of productivity, kindness, and love, feeling moved to contribute something of excellence to their communities and social circles. The head priest praised them for their thoughtfulness and willingness to step up and be a good part of the community.

A full year passed and eventually those who were visiting those currently incarcerated began to attend the Divine Liturgy with their visitors. As the priests and deacons emerged from the altar, they began to notice how full the sanctuary had become with the addition of so many new people.

Close Personal Connection

 

The drop off line outside of the elementary school was ridiculously long, Mrs. Johnson pulled into the line to wait for her turn to drop off her son so he could join his friends for another day of school. Excited that her son now had many good friends and the occasional play date, she arrived at home approximately twenty minutes after watching her son walk into the building.

               As she rounded the corner to her block, she pressed the garage door opener button that hung on her visor, watched as the door rose out of sight, pulled inside, closed the garage door as she slipped into the laundry room that led to the kitchen. She took off her high heels, escaped into her bedroom to change into her workout clothes for a few minutes of yoga to release the stress that had slowly built up as she waited in line at the school.

               Now wearing yoga pants, a loose t-shirt and her trainers, she rolled out her yoga mat, did several minutes of stretching and began her thirty minutes yoga routine. Lying flat on her back, she heard her cellphone ding to see a note from a mother of one of her son’s friends, inviting her to a meeting of several mothers to discuss an idea that had been suggested. She quickly answered and said that she would be there and was very interested in the suggested idea.

               She completed her yoga routine, took a cool shower, chose an outfit, and found the address of the coffee shop where the meeting would be held. Now feeling much better, much more relaxed, she ate a small lunch, and sent a note to her husband informing him that she would be away for about an hour to meet with some mothers from the school. He responded back with a simple “okay, have fun, I look forward to hearing what this meeting is about.”

               She noticed the time, and began planning the rest of her day. “Okay, Christy, you have about three hours before the meeting,” she thought, “make a decision what to prepare for dinner, and do some house cleaning.” Now fully relaxed and excited to spend some time with several women from the school, she walked around the house in a baggy t-shirt and socks, putting in a great effort to be productive before needing to leave. One hour before the start of the meeting, she chose a comfortable outfit, ate a small snack, sat down on the couch to relax and think through the rest of her week.

               She arrived at the coffee shop ten minutes early, was greeted by nine young mothers, ordered herself a coffee, joined them at the table and immediately broke into friendly conversation. Within the next fifteen minutes, ten more women arrived and the topic at hand began to be discussed. “Thank you everyone for coming,” one of the women said, “a few of us have been talking about bringing our children to local retirement homes in order to bring some joy into the lives of the elderly. Of course, we will need to make arrangements with at least four of the retirement homes and receive permission from the school to bring the children one afternoon a week.”

               Phone numbers and email addresses were exchanged, assignments were given, and Christy could see the excitement building as many ideas were suggested about how good it would be for the elderly to spend time with small children, and the children to understand how good their presence would be for helping others. Everyone finished their coffee, exchanged hugs, and left for their homes. Two days later, Christy received an email from the leader of the mother’s group, providing details about the four retirement homes and that permission had been received from the school, giving them the freedom to accompany the children one afternoon each week.

               Five mothers were assigned to lead the group of children each week, to different retirement homes with specific written plans for how to proceed and interact with the elderly. Christy noticed that her name was included in the fourth group and shortly after the email arrived, a second email arrived which contained the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of the other women with whom she would be working.

               Before the end of the day, she contacted the other mothers, made a plan to meet and work through the details for their afternoon trip. When her husband returned home from work, she talked through the details and the plans for the retirement home trips. She was encouraged to hear that he believed this plan was a great idea, because taking care of the elderly, bringing joy into people’s lives, and introducing a different social environment for the children would be good for everyone.

               The next day, Christy met with the four other women for coffee, made specific plans and times, and one of them offered to contact the retirement home and talk through their plan to connect the small children with many of their elderly occupants. The day of the trip finally arrived, thankfully one of the mothers was skilled at driving large vehicles, the five women arrived at the school, obtained the keys for the school van, gathered the children, and drove to the retirement home.  The eighteen children met several elderly folks in the game room and were very excited to meet new people, bringing joy and energy to people who had lacked any sort of excitement or livelihood for many years.

               The five mothers stood at the doorway and watched as the children filtered through the room, gave hugs to the old men and old women, bringing out looks of joy and excitement in many of their faces. The three-hour time period came to an end, the five mothers began gathering the children, allowing them to hug and say goodbye to their new friends. Four of the mothers took the children to the school van, while the fifth mother engaged in conversation with the head nurse at the retirement home, promising that they would return next month on the same day at the same time.

               After an uneventful drive back to the school, the five mothers delivered the children back to their classrooms, returned the school van keys, thanked the school for allowing them to bring the children to the retirement home. “It was a wonderful time,” one of the mother’s said, “it’s too bad you couldn’t have been there to see the joy and happiness in the faces of the elderly people there. I know they thoroughly enjoyed the visit and I spoke with the head nurse and promised her that we would return next month on the same day at the same time.”

               The five women left the school office, exchanged hugs, and promised to stay in contact over the next month as they prepared to meet again and revisit the retirement home. The five women drove home and two hours later returned to the school to retrieve their children, and discuss how important it is to be kind to others, to love others, and to bring joy into other people’s lives.

               Christy, her husband, and her son sat down for dinner that evening and the little boy talked through the entire dinner, telling his father about the wonderful time he enjoyed visiting the elderly at the retirement home. “It is very important to be kind to people, to love people and to bring joy into people’s lives,” the little boy said, “we’re going to go back again next month on the same day at the same time, I am so excited to see them again.”

               “That is very good, son,” his father said, “it is a common problem for the elderly to become lonely and seeing excited and happy little people brings them great joy and fulfillment. Make sure that you give them hugs and talk to them as much as you can.”

               “Yes, of course,” the little boy answered, “I did both of those things with many of the people there and we spent some time playing games and learned about each other. One older woman that I spoke to told me that she has one daughter who chose not to have any children, and she said she was sad that she’ll never have any grandchildren. I promised her that I would come back next month and we could be good friends.”

               “That makes me very happy to hear you say that,” his father said.

               “She was very happy to see all of us children arrive that day,” the little boy said, “I am so glad that we were able to visit them and bring them such joy. Maybe some other day and time, you, Mom, and I can go visit them on a day that isn’t a school day. I know they would be very happy to have more visitors.”

Love Your Neighbor

 

            After attending a motivational speech at a conference to which his company sent him, Vladimir began to review his use of time, his use of money, and the type of people with whom he associated. After three weeks of introspection, cogitation, and self-criticism, he came to the conclusion that he needed to make some radical changes to his life, to his social interaction, and the possibility of making a positive impact on the community around him. Instead of watching a movie that Friday evening, he locked himself in his office, began writing down thoughts, ideas, and plans to become a different person.

               Several thoughts came to him at the same time, the first thought was that of how common abortion had become in the city in which he lived, which moved him to start an organization to support these young women and protect the unborn. “No matter how small someone may be, every person deserves the chance to live a life and contribute to society,” he thought.

               The second thought that came to mind was that of buying an abandoned building, starting a restaurant on the first floor, and remodeling the rest of the building into clean, organized, and appropriately sized apartments. “There are a great number of people who I can approach to help me bring this idea to fruition,” he thought. “I can use the profits from the restaurant to fund the use of the apartments for young women who have nowhere else to go. Okay, time to make some phone calls, send some emails, and find a few properties that would allow us to bring this to a good end.”

               Vladimir spent the next thirty minutes searching real estate websites for abandoned buildings inside the city limits, after finding three different properties, he contacted each realtor with several questions, and a plan to view each property. He then placed four phone calls and sent six emails, to happily receive agreement from seven of the ten contacts, with promises of financial support. His mind became a whirlwind of plans, ideas, and numerous people to contact to bring his grand plan to a beautiful conclusion.

               The following weekend, he met a different realtor at the three different properties, he took photos, took notes, and finally decided on one property that had the best layout, the best location, and the best design to accommodate a restaurant and multiple apartments. He assured the realtor that he would be in contact within the next few days to make an offer, after he had the opportunity to speak with his financial supporters. He returned home, did the math to determine how much money he would need from each supporter to purchase the property, remodel the property, and finance the restaurant.

               He then contacted his lawyer to set up the restaurant as a legal business, an adoption agency to protect the many orphans that were in the legal system, and he made several phone calls to multiple contractors to receive bids on the remodel work. He also created a small group of people to begin making contact with young women approaching abortion clinics with the hope that many of them could be persuaded to not follow through with the murder of their pre-born child.

               After contacting his seven financial supporters, he communicated the amount of money he would need to bring the many plans to a positive conclusion. Within forty-eight hours, he saw that all seven of them deposited the promised amount of money into his bank account. He then placed a phone call to the real estate agent to make an offer on the building. She assured him that she would draw up the paperwork, send it to him, which he would need to electronically sign and hopefully the offer would be received by the current owner.

               Within three days, Vladimir received an email from the realtor that the current owner accepted his offer and that he needed to come into her office to sign the final paperwork, receive the keys, and become the actual owner of the property. After completing everything, he began to make contact with several contractors to begin the remodel work, the first step was to be the building of the restaurant. As the restaurant construction was completed, he began to see a great deal of customers coming in every day.

               Work then began on remodeling the rest of the floors into clean, organized, and livable apartments. Six months passed, the restaurant was generating a great deal of income, the plumbing, the electrical work, the framing, and the rest of the work was finally completed. Which gave Vladimir the framework to begin advertising the availability of apartments for single mothers. After meeting with about forty young women, and giving them tours of the apartments, he intentionally kept the rental price very low, after receiving many thank you’s from most of them, he knew that he would need to hire security to keep the building safe and free from trouble.

               The adoption agency took over one space for their office on the first floor near the restaurant. In less than two months, each apartment was occupied by young women with one or two small children, the security team was put in place, and he eventually learned that the adoption agency had been successful in placing almost fifty children into safe and comfortable homes. The small team of people who were watching the activity at local abortion clinics reported that they had been able to convince nearly one hundred young women not to proceed with the murder of their pre-born children.

               Now that everything was being successful, he called a meeting for everyone who had financially supported his efforts, reported the wonderful news and the large number of lives that were saved, and the many young single mothers who now had clean safe homes in which to live. With the small amount of rent he received from the young women, the income from the restaurant covered the financial needs of the building, paid the salary for the security team, the adoption clinic personnel, and most of the electricity bills, the water bills, and free wi-fi available for everyone in the building.

               As the meeting came to a conclusion, he closed it off with a few comments about repeating this process in another building if anyone was interested in offering additional support to do this a second time. Everyone then stood up, left his home, and within two days he received four emails offering further financial support to remodel another building and help their city become a better and safer place. Thrilled and excited to see the first effort with the restaurant, the remodeled apartments, and the adoption clinic, he placed another phone call to make an offer on another of the buildings that he had previously viewed.

               He made an offer on another of the buildings, received confirmation that the previous owner accepted his offer, which moved him to repeat the process in the new building, and after contacting the contractors again, another restaurant was built, the rest of the building was remodeled. Which gave Vladimir the opportunity to show the beautiful new apartments to another group of several dozen young women. Four months came to a close and the building was finished, clean, organized, and staffed by another security team.

               Now that two buildings had been rescued from absolute waste and had been restored, he was contacted by a local newspaper to discuss the work that he and his financial team had accomplished. After a one-hour discussion, he emphasized the importance of those who were wealthy to help those who needed help and not waste their money on comfort, pleasure, and a selfish lifestyle. “It is important to do good when good should be done,” he said in his closing comment.

               Three months after the interview was printed in the local newspaper, Vladimir received eight different offers from other people who wanted to repeat the process of remodeling another building, as they said they were moved and motivated by his words and actions. Thrilled and excited that he took the time to share his thoughts, over the next year, he saw two more buildings remodeled and filled with young women who needed a clean and safe place to live to care for their children.

               As he considered the situation so many of these young women found themselves, Vladimir made the decision to start a daycare in each building, free of charge, so they did not need to spend their money on hiring others to take care of their children. With each interaction, and new jobs created, Vladimir could see the joy in their eyes when he offered them free daycare in the apartment building. The restaurant in each building continued to provide income to support the needs of those who lived therein.

               After giving the situations in each building further thought, he purchased a small bus and a driver for each location, to drive the young women to their jobs, to the grocery store when necessary or anywhere else they needed to go.  Several days after completing and organizing everything at each location, Vladimir sat in his office and created a comprehensive list of what was being accomplished, who was being helped, how many jobs had been created, and the positive impact he and his financial supporters were having on their city.

From Good to Evil to Good

 

            Harold lives in Leeds UK with his parents, after graduating from university, he was able to retain a job as a computer programmer, while working remotely. He is now twenty-eight years old and has been saving his money with the hope of eventually purchasing his own home with some land. For several years he has been dreaming of living in the wooded land north of Leeds in a castle like home. He works somewhere between forty and fifty hours a week, rarely leaving his room, but still enjoys three meals a day with his parents.

               He has created a habit for himself of checking his bank account balance every Friday afternoon and as he has come to realize that he now has almost five hundred thousand pounds in his account, he begins a discussion with his father about buying some land, and hopefully restoring a house if the land contains one. His father agrees with him and encourages him to become the man of his own home and offers to visit potential land and homes if or when they become available.

               Three full days pass and Harold sends an email to a real estate agent in northern England explaining his desire to purchase land in northern England, requesting that she send him the details of land for sale. He clarifies that his preference is for a piece of land less than five acres preferably with a home that can be remodeled. Within less than an hour, he received a response from the agent, who confirms and understands his request, she tells him that she will gather real estate listings based on his preferences and will forward them to him.

               Harold joins his parents in the dining room for the evening meal, and goes into a detailed explanation of his conversation with the real estate agent. The three of them enjoy a peaceful evening, complete their meal, and Harold’s mother suggests that some time after the kitchen and dining room are cleaned, that they all should go for a walk, as fresh air is always a good idea for everyone involved. Harold offers to do the cleaning work, and when he has everything in order, he calls for his parents to begin their walk. The three of them spend the next forty-five minutes walking the pavements of Leeds, greeting and interacting with those they meet. Having completed a path through some of the city, they return home, leaving Harold feeling slightly tired and uncomfortably sweaty.

               He excuses himself when they enter the house to take a shower, return to his room, and spend some time searching through properties for sale in northern England. Harold and his parents spend most of their Saturday cleaning the house, chatting, and preparing for the evening church service. They take a lengthy walk to the sanctuary and return home in the dusk of a slightly chilly evening. They rise early the next morning to attend the Divine Liturgy, enjoy a beautiful midday meal with everyone in the congregation, and then walk the several blocks back to their home.

               Harold and his parents sit together in the living room until it is time for his mother to prepare the evening meal. When the evening meal is ready, Harold rises to his feet to do a little stretching, takes his seat at the table and thanks his mother for her hard work and for preparing a glorious and wonderful meal. Harold then offers to clean the dining room and the kitchen, to then spend an hour with his parents in the living room to talk about his plans for buying land and restoring a house. “I have contacted the real estate agent and am waiting for her to send me listings of land in northern England,” he said, “I will keep you informed as this develops.”

               Thursday afternoon arrives and Harold receives an email from the real estate agent, prints out the documents she has provided, carefully studies them, descends to the first floor and sits with his father to review the documents. “Father, I was thinking that you and I and the agent could visit some of these listings Saturday morning before Matins and Vespers,” he said.

               “Yes, that sounds like a great idea,” his father said, “once you make a decision on which properties you want to visit, let me know what time you want to depart from home to make the journey north.”

               Harold then excuses himself to return to his room, calls the real estate agent and inform her that there is one property that he would like to physically visit with his father and the agent. “Also, can we meet at the property sometime on Saturday morning.”

               “Yes, let’s meet at nine o’clock in the morning,” she said, “you should know that the property you are interested in currently has a rapidly decaying Roman church on the land. It has been abandoned for a little over four hundred years. It was built in 787 and was used by the Roman church for eight centuries but was eventually abandoned as the attendance declined to the point where there was not enough income to maintain the facilities and pay for the priest to continue his work there. Also, you should know that after the building was abandoned, a group of Satanists took over the building in the mid 1800’s and were performing human sacrifices on the altar. Please understand that a great deal of evil and corruption took place within those walls for about one hundred years. I’ll see you there on Saturday at nine o’clock.”

               “Very good, thank you for describing the history of that location,” Harold said, “my father and I will be there at nine.” Harold then returned downstairs told his father about the property, while leaving out the gory details of human sacrifice and Satanic activity. “Father,” he said, “we will need to leave home Saturday morning at eight o’clock to arrive at the property at nine to meet the agent.”

               “Very good,” his father said, “I’ll be ready to go at eight, I am excited to see this property and we will need to take notes, photos, and think carefully about the cost of remodeling the current home that is currently standing.”

               Harold finished his work that Thursday and the following Friday. He set his alarm for seven o’clock in order to be ready in time for the eight o’clock departure on Saturday. He and his father began the drive at eight o’clock, arrived at the property, met the agent and began a careful review of the buildings and the land. One hour later, Harold and his father began their drive home to descend into a long discussion about the state of the land, the sorry state of the Roman church, and the overall cost of restoring the small house.

               “I have plenty of money, Father,” he said, “I believe that this would be a good investment, and if I hire skilled artisans to restore the church and convert it into an Orthodox place of worship, we would then have an Orthodox Church which could be used instead of renting from the Anglican church in Leeds, which would be a great blessing for our people, for our land, and for our community. I was also thinking that I could build a large facility that would provide free meals for the poor in the area.”

               When Harold and his father arrived at home, he placed a phone call to the real estate agent informing her that he would like to make an offer on that property. “Ah, very good Harold,” she said, “I’ll put together the documents, scan them, email them to you, and you will need to electronically sign them, please tell me the amount you would like to offer for the property.”

               “Yes, ma’am, currently the asking price is two hundred and fifty thousand pounds, I would like to offer two hundred and twenty thousand pounds,” he said.

               “I think that is a reasonable offer to make,” she said, “I’ll get the documents together and you should see them in less than an hour. Please sign them as soon as possible. When I receive them, I will send the offer to the current owner and will let you know their response.”

               As promised, in about thirty minutes Harold received the documents, reviewed them, quickly signed them, and waited for a response from the agent. On Sunday evening, he received an email from the real estate agent that the current owner accepted his offer and that the paperwork would be ready for him on Monday evening at her office. Harold then placed a phone call to her, and confirmed that he would be to her office by six thirty on Monday evening.

               He finished his day of work, quickly drove to the real estate agent’s office, signed a large pile of documents, she then sent the signed documents to the current owner to be signed and approved, he received the keys for the property, the completed property transfer and then drove home to announce to his parents that the purchase was complete and after remodeling the house, he would be moving further north. “This will easily take at least four months before I can move in,” he said.

               The next day, Harold and his parents traveled to the property, walked through both buildings, and through all of the land. Upon returning home, he placed several phone calls to contractors to begin the restoration process on the home. Meeting times were set up with four different contractors to handle four different aspects of the restoration work. Harold requested three days off of work, so he could confirm that everything would be taken care of in a timely manner at his new property.

               Four months passed and the restoration work of his new home was complete, he hired a moving company to gather, pack, load, and unload his belongings into his new home further north. Before leaving his parent’s home, he called the necessary companies to handle putting the power, the garbage, the water, and the internet service in his name. He spent the next two days getting everything in order in his new home. Now completely satisfied with the orderly state of his home. He then began to focus on cleaning and organizing the slowly decaying Roman church.

               After two weeks of work of cleaning and organizing, he placed a call to the bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church that he was now in possession of a decaying Roman church and would like to convert the building into an Orthodox place of worship. The bishop was very excited about his offer and suggested that they meet as soon as possible to view the property, discuss the details of restoration, and how soon they could begin conducting services therein.

               When Harold met with the bishop, he made a strong effort to communicate that the building he would be remodeling was taken over by Satanists in the mid 1800’s, who were performing human sacrifices on the Roman altar. “This is very important to know,” the bishop said, “we will need to perform a sanctification service before we can begin having services therein.”

               Two weeks later, a team of people from the Russian Orthodox archdiocese met with Harold on his property and they walked through the building, around the property, and through the attached cemetery. After three months of restoration work, the building was now in a state of full usability. The priest from the Russian Orthodox Church in Leeds was re-assigned to the new place of worship and people steadily began to arrive and become involved in weekly worship.

               Harold then hired a contractor to build a new dining hall with a fully functional kitchen to feed those in the community. He began advertising the Church in the local community, the free offer of evening meals, and welcomed anyone who was interested in weekly Orthodox worship to attend every Saturday at the seventeen hundred hour and Sunday at the nine hundred hour.

               After one full year of Orthodox worship, Harold was thrilled to see over two hundred people in regular attendance and scores of people arriving each evening for a free, hot meal. As he worked his normal day, he received an email from the local newspaper, asking to do an interview with him regarding the new Church, the new free meals each evening, and what motivated him to take on this massive endeavor.

               He agreed to meet with the reporter, shared all of the details of his plan, the importance of loving one’s neighbor, and the importance of doing good when good needed to be done. After a thirty-minute discussion with the reporter, Harold returned home, ate dinner, placed phone calls to the priest and the bishop about the interview he just completed. A large number of young men were now in attendance at the Church, with many of them offering to help with cleaning, with maintenance, and with yard work.

               Eventually Harold met a wonderful young woman and after one year of romantic interaction, he asked her to marry him and begin a family. Though the house was small, he had visions of adding on another bedroom, a large gathering room, and a second bathroom. The wonderful young lady named Eloise said yes to his marriage request, after nine months they asked the priest to perform the wedding ceremony, they then took a three-day honeymoon to Paris, returned home and were filled with joy with the start of a new life.

Ten more years passed and the number of parishioners continued to increase, leaving Harold feeling overwhelmed with joy at the positive impact he and the priest were having on the local community. Harold watched as his bank account continued to grow, and at the same time, he saw many more people continuing to talk about the beauty and glory of the new Church just north of Brafferton.

Paying Attention and Responding

 

            Dmitri woke up twenty minutes before his alarm with a feeling of deep nausea in the pit of his stomach. “Oh, man, this is not good,” he grumbled, “I suppose it is the right thing to call in sick, because I would really hate to infect my office mates with whatever it is that has overtaken my state of physical health.” He reached over, turned off his alarm, sat on the edge of his bed and knew that he would be kneeling in front of the toilet in a few minutes. “Phew, enough of that,” he groaned, “I think I’ll steal a couple more hours of sleep, but I should set my alarm to wake me so I can call in and let them know my current state of health.”

               Fifteen minutes before his normal arrival time at the office, his alarm pulled him from sleep, forcing him out of bed and onto his feet. He dropped his sweaty pajamas in the laundry basket, found loose fitting sweats and t-shirt, a pair of socks and his slippers, trudged into the kitchen, poured himself a cup of coffee and dialed his boss’s phone number. “Hey boss, it’s Dmitri,” he said, “I woke up sick this morning so I won’t be in the office today, I really hope whatever it is that is plaguing me right now will clear up today and I’ll be into the office tomorrow.”

               “Wow, thanks for the call, Dmitri,” his boss said, “get as much rest as you can, and don’t worry about your responsibilities at work today, I’ll divide your work up between your office mates. Please call me again tomorrow morning, so I know how you are feeling and if you’ll be in for work.”

               “Alright, will do,” Dmitri said. He then hung up the phone, shuffled back into the kitchen, found himself a mild breakfast, finished his cup of coffee and finished his small meal. Pulling himself to his feet, he collapsed on the couch in the living room, put on some classical music, and began wondering how he would feel the rest of the day. “Man, I really hope this clears up sooner than later,” he thought.

               A vigorous knock on the door pulled him from his late morning nap, as he peeked through the viewer, he saw a FedEx man holding a large envelope. He quickly opened the door, received the envelope from the man, thanked him and wished him a good day. Closing and locking the door behind him, he opened the envelope, extracted a letter and a check written out to him for one and a half million dollars. He carefully read the accompanying letter and learned that Uncle Boris had recently reposed. “Uncle Boris,” he thought, “I didn’t know I had an Uncle Boris, this is really awesome, now I can buy some land and build the castle I’ve been wanting to build for so many years now.”

               Placing the letter and the check on the dining room table, he shuffled into his office, and began a search for inexpensive land, preferably somewhere warm with lots of trees. After thirty minutes of searching via the internet, he found the perfect piece of land in northern Nevada. “Well, this is perfect,” he said, “twenty acres with several hills and plenty of trees, looks like it’s time for a phone call.”

               After a brief phone call with the local realtor, he requested that the realtor send him several photos of the land and the land surrounding the property. About an hour after lunch, an email from the realtor arrived with twenty photos attached. Dmitri spent the next fifteen minutes looking through each photo, found the property on a map app to see that the nearest town was relatively empty and decaying after nearly one hundred years of neglect.

               “It would be wise to visit the property before I make an offer of purchase,” he thought, “I need to talk to my boss and see if I can work remotely from out of state and my yet to be built home. I suppose I should find a local company that will build a castle for me in that location and receive a bid on the total cost.” The rest of the day slowly crept passed, the next morning Dmitri called his boss and explained his situation, asking for permission to work remotely now that he had received a large and unexpected check from his uncle.

               At the end of the phone call, he confirmed with his boss that he would be taking a full week of vacation to get everything in order with these recent developments. After breakfast and before lunch, he traveled to the bank to deposit his check, returned home and placed another phone call to the realtor, setting up a time to meet and view the property. After concluding his phone call with the realtor, he purchased a plane ticket to the nearest town closest to his potential new property.

               Four hours after landing at the airport, he and the real estate agent walked through the property, giving Dmitri the opportunity to take more photographs and notes. As they stood together on the side of the hill, at the point he determined would be the best place to build his castle, they looked down upon an abandoned collection of motel cabins at the edge of town. Now thoroughly pleased with the property, he and the realtor returned to the real estate office to do all the paperwork to make an offer on the land. Within an hour, the current owner responded by accepting the offer. With the acceptance of the offer, Dmitri requested that the real estate agent find a local financial company in his home town to take care of the paperwork and the transfer of money.

               Two weeks later, he received a phone call from the real estate agent in Nevada with contact information for the financial company. He quickly responded with words of thanks, called the financial company, set up an appointment to sign the necessary documents and transfer the money. Three days later, the documents were signed, the money was transferred and Dmitri received the official documents identifying him as the owner of the twenty acres in Nevada.

               “Phew, okay, here we are,” he said, “now I need to find a contractor to build my castle.” After two hours of research online, he found three different contractors, contacted each one and requested a bid on building the castle. Within two weeks, he received all three bids, chose the best one, and began dreaming about his new life, his new home, and the freedom that would come from working remotely in a warm and beautiful place.

               After contacting the best contractor, he traveled to his new property, met with the contractor on site, filled out the necessary paperwork, shook hands, thanked them for their willingness to step up and take care of this build for him. After sixteen months, he received a phone call from the contractor, traveled to his property and could feel his heart swelling with joy and excitement of his new home, to finally see a glorious and beautiful stone castle on the side of the hill overlooking the slowly decaying city far below.

               Within three weeks, he sold his condominium, hired a moving company to pack, load and relocate his things into his new home. Now holding only a single suitcase and carry-on bag, he watched as the moving truck drove away, giving him the chance to take the next flight to his new home. He arrived at the nearest airport, rented a car, drove to his property, walked into an empty house that was comfortably warm. Before darkness swallowed the surrounding land, he heard the moving truck pull into his property and the driver knocked on the door. Within fifteen minutes, all of his possession began to be carried inside and scattered throughout the house.

               Dmitri spent the next four days organizing, relocating, and getting everything in order. After living in his new castle for two weeks, he noticed that a great amount of activity was taking place at the abandoned motel cabins at the edge of town. “Hmm, that’s curious,” he thought, over the next several months, each cabin was fully remodeled, the landscape was made beautiful, and a landing strip was installed. When everything was in good shape, he watched a large bus arrive and he saw twenty teenage girls depart from the bus and with his surveillance equipment, he recorded the activity, as one girl was taken to each cabin.

               Each day a plane would arrive, or a collection of large fancy cars would arrive, continuing to record the activity below, he watched as wealthy, middle-aged men entered each cabin to then emerge after about two hours. “Wow, this does not look good,” he thought, “you hear a lot about child trafficking, and I would guess that is what is happening here. I should probably call the FBI about this activity.”

               Within forty-eight hours, he watched as multiple FBI vehicles converged on the property, arresting and removing the wealthy, middle-aged men. Still recording the activity below, he watched as twenty girls were rescued from the motel cabins, loaded onto a bus, and leave the property. Two hours later, three FBI agents appeared at his front door, identified themselves and thanked him for his phone call. “Thank you making your phone call, Dmitri,” one of them said, “you have behaved as a good citizen of the United States. Your phone call rescued those twenty girls from the abuse of wealthy, middle-aged men. From what we have learned, a company by the name of Dark Stone Productions bought that property, remodeled it as a means to earn money from a number of their wealthy clientele.”

               The three FBI agents then left his home and confirmed that they would stay in contact if there was any need for further information from him. Dmitri watched them drive off his property, cross the open empty space below his home and then he ascended into his tower to look down upon the decaying town below. “Wow, that was a good thing to do on my part,” he said, “I hope those girls weren’t too traumatized by what happened to them.”

               Wondering what would happen to the newly remodeled motel cabins, he hoped that someone else would purchase the property, which would draw more visitors into the town, and hopefully bring some life to the region. Two months later, he received a phone call from the FBI and he informed them that he had surveillance cameras that recorded all of the activity in the newly remodeled motel cabins. He was informed by them that Dark Stone Productions had done the same purchase and remodel work in ten other locations around the country. They thanked him for his initial phone call and confirmed that the FBI managed to locate and shut down the other ten locations, rescuing two hundred girls from a similar situation.

               Dmitri then began researching Dark Stone Productions, learned a great deal about them, who was in charge of these decisions, and then placed a phone call to the real estate agent, informing her about the remodeling work, and his interaction with the FBI. He asked her if she would keep him informed about the remodeled motel cabins and if anyone would be purchasing them and for what purpose.

               Three months later, he received a phone call from the agent, who told him that a real estate company purchased the remodeled motel cabins to be used as a place of vacation. When the purchase was complete, Dmitri watched as many families arrived to enjoy a beautiful location to relax. He was thoroughly pleased with himself for making that initial phone call, trusting that the arrival of people on vacation would bring growth and success to the surrounding region.

               He found himself feeling so good about being able to work remotely, that he finally shared the details of what had been happening in the small town, his interaction with the FBI, and the potential for growth and success. His co-workers congratulated him on his willingness to step up and do the right thing and requested that he keep them informed as everything continued to develop over the next several months.

               As he expected, he saw new homes being built, new businesses opening, and an increase in activity around the once decaying town. He watched as a large swimming pool was dug, built, and used on a daily basis by those who vacationed at the motel’s cabins. Dmitri would spend at least an hour every day, walking around his property, enjoying the beauty of nature and spending as much money as he could at the local businesses. He found himself being approached by many of his neighbors, thanking him for his concern for their community, and his assistance in making the small town begin to thrive.

Abducted and Buried

 

            Jeremy read the news every morning as he ate his breakfast and for the last three months he had heard about multiple abductions of teenage girls in the large city to the north. It was when he heard about the twentieth abduction that he could feel anger building up within him, disappointed that there was nothing he could do to intervene and protect the young and innocent. “Hmm, if I remember correctly, a large white van has been seen at the location of every abduction,” he said to himself, “I need to watch for a large white van anytime I travel into the big city.”

               He finished his breakfast, wrote himself a note to remind himself to watch for the van, placed it on the passenger seat in his car, and prayed that the perpetrator would be caught and imprisoned. The next three weeks passed and it wasn’t until the end of the third week that he saw a large white van lying sideways in the ditch alongside the highway. Stopping his vehicle a safe distance from the damaged van, he placed a call to 911 that a large white van was lying in the ditch alongside the highway. He then waited until the police arrived; he climbed out of his car and had a brief conversation with one of the police officers.

               Jeremy then returned to his car, took several deep breathes and hoped that the driver of his van was the one guilty of the abductions. He watched and waited and eventually saw a very short, very fat, and heavily tattooed man pulled out of the van, and placed in the back of the police car. “Phew, we can only hope,” he thought, “I guess I’ll continue listening to the news and see what develops from this.”

               As the police car drove away from the site of the accident, he pulled out and continued his drive into the city to make a quick stop at the grocery store. About thirty minutes later, he began his drive home, and saw that the van had been removed from the ditch and normal traffic had resumed. He arrived at home and felt like he had contributed to the improvement of society and hopefully assisted in the removal of a dangerous criminal from their area.

               One full week passed and Jeremy heard that the one responsible for the abductions had been arrested and incarcerated. He also learned that the police sent a CSI team to his home and discovered twenty shallow graves which contained the bodies of those who had been abducted. “Oh, glory to God,” Jeremy said out loud, “now their families have an answer about the final state of their loved ones.”

               Jeremy became involved in multiple conversations about the abductions, the discovery of the bodies, and possible motivation for someone to commit such heinous crimes. Two full weeks after the bodies had been exhumed from the property, the CSI team learned that the young girls had been abused and their hearts had been removed and stored in several large glass jars in a garden shed on his property.

               Disgusted and sickened at the suffering these young girls had undergone, Jeremy could not wrap his head around someone committing crimes like this against people who were weak and innocent. After three months in county jail, the short, overweight, and heavily tattooed man was found guilty of his crimes and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.

               Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that he had placed that call to 911, and thankful that the community would be at rest now that this horrible criminal had been found, arrested, and imprisoned. “Well, we all know that crime doesn’t simply stop when one criminal is removed from society, but unfortunately crime will continue and we can only hope that no more abductions will take place,” he said to himself.

               Jeremy continued reading the news every morning and was thankful to hear that nothing horrible or heinous was happening in the city to the north. “Alright, Jeremy, you’ve done a good thing,” he thought, “I cannot imagine the pain, loss, and suffering the parents of those girls are enduring right now.” The thought occurred to him if the short, overweight, and heavily tattooed man was alone or if he had a family that was depending on him for their needs. “You know, let’s look up the address of that property, see where it exactly is, and see if it goes up for sale. I really hope that he was alone in this horrible criminal activity, if he had a wife and children who were depending on him, they will be left in a bad spot right now.”

               The CSI team completed their exhaustive search of the property, found nothing else that would assist them in the investigation, and departed from the property. One week later, Jeremy saw that the house and the land upon which it sat was now for sale. “I cannot imagine how anyone would be interested in buying a house and property that formerly held the corpses of multiple people,” he thought, “this will be interesting to see how quickly it sells or if it sells at all.”

               Much to Jeremy’s surprise, the house and land sold after being on the market for three months. One month after the house sold, he drove by to see the property, and who currently lived in it. Three years after the short, overweight, and heavily tattooed man entered prison, Jeremy learned that his cellmate beat him to death because of the nature of his crimes against innocent people. “May God have mercy on his soul,” Jeremy thought.

               He continued to read the news, learned the details of the short, overweight, and heavily tattooed man’s funeral. “You know what, I think I’ll attend that funeral and see if anyone else attends or if he has family who will be there,” he said. Jeremy adjusted his schedule, arrived at the funeral home and saw a middle-aged woman with four children sitting alone and crying. “Wow, this is a horrible scene,” he thought. “Imagine having no one in your life other than your immediate family who would care enough to attend your funeral.”

               The casket was carried to the hearse and as Jeremy waited a few minutes, he was approached by the middle-aged woman and her four children. She gave him a hug, thanked him for attending the funeral, and asked him how he knew the departed. “I’m sorry ma’am,” he said, “I did not know the man, I have never met him and I thought it was the right thing to do to attend his funeral and pray for his departed soul.”

               The hearse, the woman and her children in their car, and Jeremy in his car drove to the cemetery and watched as the pine box was lowered into the ground. Feeling sad for the deceased, and for his wife and children as they were now alone with no means of income. He offered the woman a handful of cash and condolences for her loss and that she and her children would be safe and provided for.

               The six of them departed in their vehicles, leaving Jeremy feeling empty and depressed at such a sad situation. “Well, everyone makes choices in life and often times those choices have negative consequences,” he thought. “I wonder what will happen to her and her children?” He drove home, took a shower, ate lunch, and thought through everything that had happened that morning at the funeral home and at the cemetery. “Phew, that was rough,” he thought, “thankfully I have many people who know me, love me, and would be sad if and when I depart for eternity. Thankfully that won’t be for a very long time, I am sure that I’ll have at least forty more years before I am lowered into the ground.”

Wall of Protection

 

            Andrew, the captain of the high school rugby team met with Richard, another member of the high school rugby team and began discussing the need to protect the girls in their school from the numberless abductions that were taking place over the last many decades. “Hey Richard, I was thinking that if everyone on the rugby team met on the front pavement and escorted the girls to their homes, we would be providing safe travel and you can guarantee that their parent’s would be chuffed to bits for our effort,” Andrew said.

               “Yes, that is a great idea,” Richard said, “we should contact everyone on the rowing team to become involved as well. The more young men who are willing to help and protect, the more protection we can offer.”

               “Oh, great idea,” Andrew said, “we need to have those conversations sometime this morning and we need to inform the coaches of the rugby team and the rowing team about what we are planning to do, because if we spend time providing protection and escort service, that time will most likely cut into our practice time immediately after school.”

               “You are absolutely right in that,” Richard said, “we should send a mass text to everyone on the athlete group chat and meet at lunch today to explain what we hope to accomplish.” The two boys stood up from their seated position on the hallway floor, shook hands and walked to their lockers to retrieve their books for their first class. Andrew took his seat in class, and sent off the text to everyone on the athlete group chat, requesting that they all meet today in the gymnasium during lunch to discuss a very important responsibility that he and Richard decided needed to be addressed.

               The first three classes of the day came to an end, the lunch bell rang, and approximately sixty large, powerful young men gathered in the gymnasium immediately after eating lunch. Andrew and Richard stood up in front of the group of young men, shared their idea and the need to protect the weak and innocent from the abductions that had been taking place for so many decades all across London and the area surrounding London.

               Andrew called for a show of hands of who was willing to be involved in providing protection immediately after school, when he made the request all sixty young men raised their hands. The gymnasium became silent and one young man named Basil stood up, called for everyone’s attention, and said that a plan needed to be created with teams of six young men for each escort group and delivery across the city. “Oh, also, we need to communicate this message to all of the girls in the school, so they know that we will be protecting them as they walk home,” Basil said.

               Basil then sat down and another young man by the name of Charles stood up, called for everyone’s attention, cleared his throat and began to speak. “I just had a great idea,” he said, “some of us should contact the professional rugby teams and the professional rowing teams to inform them what we are doing. You can be certain that they will be very proud of our efforts and some of them could possibly arrive at our school and assist in our protective efforts.”

               “Yes, those are excellent thoughts Basil and Charles, everyone needs to speak to as many people as they can throughout the rest of the day, so the girls can be aware of what we will be planning to do,” Richard said.

               “If I remember correctly,” Andrew said, “there are thirty-eight professional rugby teams, can I have four volunteers to contact all of these teams so they can respond if they are interested. Also, I recently performed a count of rowing teams across the UK, there are one hundred and five rowing clubs that we need to contact. I think if we have ten volunteers to contact these rowing clubs, this will give them the opportunity to assist us if any of them are interested. Thank you to everyone for coming to this impromptu meeting, anyone who is interested in volunteering for these responsibilities remain behind and speak with either Richard or myself. I want to add one more comment, we have already communicated this plan to our coaches, so they know that we will be several minutes late for practice immediately after school.”

               When Andrew stopped speaking the majority of the young men rose from their seats, and disappeared into the hallways to attend their next classes. Richard and Andrew were immediately surrounded by two dozen young men offering to help with contacting the professional rugby teams and rowing clubs. The rugby teams were divided evenly among the four young men with the assignment to contact them this evening. The rowing clubs were divided evenly among the remaining young men with the same instructions.

               Throughout the day, Richard and Andrew were approached by several dozen young ladies offering them hugs and words of thanksgiving for being such wonderful young men and protecting them as they walked home. The final class of the day came to an end, and almost one hundred young ladies emerged through the main entrance to find a wall of powerful young men waiting for them. The young ladies effortlessly gathered together based on the location of their homes. The young men had already formed teams of six to accompany them as they traveled.

               One by one the girls split away from the protective group and were watched as they walked into their homes. When the last girl was delivered to her home, the six boys rushed back to the school to see if there were any other young ladies needing protection. After ninety minutes of walking and protection, the rowing team and the rugby team met at the front of the school to happily see that all of the young ladies had been safely delivered home.

               “Did anyone have any trouble with anyone attempting to abduct any of the young ladies,” Andrew asked. A few young men spoke up and commented that they noticed several vehicles following them but thankfully there was no trouble from anyone.

               “This is very good news to hear or not hear,” Richard said. “For those of you who volunteered to contact the professional rugby teams and the rowing clubs, be sure to send off those emails tonight, and hopefully we will receive responses this evening or tomorrow. I will create a group email so that any important information can be communicated right away.”

               The next morning there was a great deal of communication throughout the school, that twenty emails from the professional rugby teams had been received and promises were made that a few of the professional rugby players would be waiting for them immediately after school so that they could assist in the protective efforts. The captain of the rowing team shared that they had received only four responses from the rowing clubs and that a few of the rowers would be present at the end of the day to assist and encourage.

               Richard and Andrew communicated this news to the rugby and rowing coaches that there would be assistance from a few of the professional rugby players and a few members of the rowing clubs at the end of the day. The school day came to an end, the young men from the rugby team and the rowing team hurried out to the pavement to meet and interact with the professional athletes who were waiting for them to arrive.

               Within ten minutes, the one hundred young ladies emerged from the building and were safely escorted home. This became a routine every day, leaving the young men, the professional athletes, and many parents chuffed to bits with the loving effort put in by the young men from the school. After two weeks of their protective efforts, the local media waited on the pavement with the few professional athletes and began reporting about the protective efforts that were taking place each day after school.

               The last day of school arrived and the young ladies were safely returned home. The teams of young men gathered in front of the school, congratulated one another on another great day of protection and they all dispersed to practice for the day. When each boy arrived at home, he learned that a cheque had arrived in the mail as a reward for their self-sacrificial efforts of protecting the young ladies every day after school. They soon came to realize that the financial remuneration was a gift from the professional rugby teams and the numerous rowing teams across the UK.

An Obvious Opportunity

 

                As the Divine Liturgy came to an end, the head priest made an announcement that all of the men of the parish needed to meet immediately after the afternoon meal, as a wonderful opportunity had been revealed to them, which he wanted to share with everyone and anyone that was interested in providing assistance. The afternoon meal was finished, and fifteen men gathered outside near the play area.

               “Thank you for coming together, everyone,” the head priest said as everyone gave him their attention. “I was approached by someone in the parish who has exceptional computer skills and he suggested that we begin watching when men or women are released from prison, which would give us the opportunity to interact with them, invite them to visit our parish, and hopefully draw them into becoming members. We will keep you all informed as this new effort begins to take shape, hopefully we’ll begin to see new visitors from those that we approach. I want to make one more comment, we will not be approaching prisoners who have a history of sexual assault.”

               After the head priest stopped talking, he watched as all of the men dispersed into the building, around the campus, and he watched as a few of them gathered their families and begin their drive home. Over the next hour, the head priest, the second priest, and the two deacons remained in a now empty facility. Every Tuesday of each week came to pass, giving the priests, the deacons, and several other men and women the opportunity to meet the former prisoners as they were released from prison. As they had hoped several of the former prisoners arrived on the following Sunday, and thanked everyone for their hospitality and kindness.

               After three months of this activity, the parish saw a steady increase in new attendees with many excellent and thoughtful questions. After six more months of consistent attendance, twelve people made the decision to be baptized and become part of the parish. Everyone in the parish was thrilled and excited to see the radical change in the new members, with a great deal of friendly interaction, new relationships, and an overall improvement in their quality of life.

               This sudden change in the people who were now members of the parish brought about many opportunities for everyone to be kind, interactive, to offer thoughtful advice and guidance, and provide an example of how to live and how to love. It is a well known fact and genuine reality that everyone has sins with which they struggle, as the historic members of the parish began to interact with the new members, they communicated the truth that everyone sins, everyone has weaknesses, and there is never a good reason to judge anyone else, criticize anyone else, or act as if you are one who has no need for instruction or guidance from others.

               They communicated that one of the most important aspects of being part of the Church is found in the need for regular confession and repentance. The two priests were overjoyed to see the change that was taking place in the new members, as they turned their back on lives of crime, neglect, and selfishness. The number of people who consistently visited each week continued to grow, as some of those whom they had approached many months before were now occasionally attending, asking questions, and expressing interest in becoming members of the Church.

               As the sanctuary became more and more full each week, discussions began to take place about the need for a larger building, more food, and greater efforts at expansion. Someone strongly suggested that a new dining hall should be built which would allow the sanctuary to be enlarged into the current space that was used for dining after each Divine Liturgy. With this suggestion, the parish leaders gathered to discuss the amount of money that would be needed to take on a new construction project, and how long it would take to raise enough money, begin the project, and eventually expand into a new dining hall, allowing for an enlargement of the current sanctuary.

               Three years slowly crept by as everyone watched the bank account continue to grow, all leading up to a time when new construction could begin. The Church leaders watched as the number of people continued to increase until the sanctuary was completely full, with everyone standing shoulder to should, front to back, and suffering through excessive heat and oppressive body odor. Many of the men and women of the parish continued to watch and interact with prisoners as they were released from prison, bringing about a steady increase in numbers.

               Every quarter of each year, the Church received a large anonymous donation, which was remarkably encouraging to everyone as they moved closer and closer to having enough money to begin construction. Overwhelming joy washed over everyone in the congregation as construction of the new dining hall finally began. Within two years of picking away at construction, the new dining hall was finally completed, creating the opportunity for the sanctuary to be expanded into the former dining hall.

               A quarterly report was written and submitted to the bishop so that he could be consistently informed and updated as the parish continued to grow and succeed in reaching those in the community around them. When the construction of the new dining hall came to a completion, the bishop arrived and took part in the blessing ceremony for the new building. The ceremony was a beautiful event with many other Orthodox believers arriving from different parts of North America, South America, and from different countries.

               The original members of the parish stood in awe of the massive number of visitors, dozens of priests, deacons, bishops, and metropolitans that joined them in their celebration of growth and social impact. Several articles appeared in nearby newspapers, on podcasts, and in several magazines throughout the global Orthodox world. After a time period of three months, the priests and the deacons received an invitation to travel to Moscow to meet with Patriarch Kirill, share the details of their wonderful and glorious progress over the past few years.

               Plans were made, details were put into place, and after a brief three-day trip to Moscow, the priests and the deacons returned home with many wonderful memories, beautiful photographs, and emotional and psychological bliss at such a rare opportunity to meet the Patriarch. The large quarterly anonymous donations continued, which moved the Church closer and closer to completing a few other projects for greater expansion, greater social impact, and increased communication with those in the community around them.

               Ten more years passed by, as the construction of a new sanctuary continued, creating more space and greater beauty, with larger numbers of Church members on a steady increase each year. Eventually construction was completed, which created a great deal of news and stories about the steady improvement of the Church and their unstoppable positive influence on the community around them.

               Over time, it became glaringly obvious that this congregation was growing, improving, and taking a radically different path than all other Russian Orthodox parishes across North America and South America. Their continued success allowed them to assist and contribute to the growth of the other congregations in the Americas. Following a surprise announcement from the Moscow Patriarchate office, this congregation was informed that Patriarch Kirill would be visiting them within the next year to congratulate them on their wonderful success and growth.

               Patriarch Kirill and Bishop Matthew arrived six months after the announcement of their visit, bringing with them a massive crowd of visitors from North America, South America, and from many other countries. Following their arrival, a meeting was held between all leaders of the Church, and the following Sunday, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated with a very full room of faithful Orthodox believers.

               The Divine Liturgy came to an end, which was followed by a well prepared and delicious afternoon meal. It was with great sadness that everyone at the parish watched as the Patriarch, and the bishop departed to return to their own parishes and communicate the wonderful success that this small congregation had managed to accomplish. Over the next two weeks, many photos were gathered and organized, to be consolidated into a printed full color photo book, available for anyone to purchase as a reminder of the wonderful event of which they were a part.