The fruit of the Theological School

Dear Friends of the Mission,

With God’s help we are doing well. I would like to update you on recent news and activities regarding the Orthodox Mission here in Indonesia.

1. On August 25, we had the ordination of Father Chariton into a presbyter at St. Demetrius S. Church in Medan. It is a great blessing for us that our Orthodox Church in Indonesia has acquired another laborer of Christ. Fr. Chariton is native to this island and is a graduate of our School of Theology. Also, his presbytera is a graduate of our School and holds a teaching degree. They have got a daughter named Eugenia. Fr. Chariton will serve his ministry in Nias, because there we have three parish communities. We also run St. Nicholas’ Orthodox School there with 135 students. The priest and his family will reside in a small room of the school since there is no other place available. It would be a great blessing for us if you could help us make a permanent house for them.
   
2. In our Theological School we have five post-graduate students who are being prepared to enter priesthood as soon as they have finished their studies. We have a small house, where they are being hosted during their studies, but unfortunately, this is all we can provide for them. We could not possibly afford any further support, which is why we appeal to your kind feelings for help.
3. With the money we received from your Fraternity, we bought a motorbike for Eleftherios, our post-graduate student who teaches in many catechetical schools and travels long distances. He is married, and in order to meet his family expenses, he has to work in the fields. Please, remember him and his family in your prayers and ask God to give them strength.
4. Our home is full of blessings! We have 16 children living with us as if they were our own. We have a large enough kitchen to serve their needs. In the mornings our house is empty, because they all go to school or to their university. As I once read, if you want to have a short-term profit, you should plant corn; if you want to have a profit for 10 years, you should plant trees; but if you want to have a profit for 50 years, you should invest in education and send the children to school. That’s why we never stop having a lot of children with us, and we always help them study at our own expense in order to ensure the future of the Orthodox Church. At this point, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for the amount of 4,000 euro that you sent us to cover their tuition.