My church started 10 years ago when my three-year-old son became disabled. My husband, although he did not approve of our “going to church”, but sullenly tolerated. Soon we had another son and then a daughter.
When the children were young, I took them to the Temple on weekdays, as we spent the weekend with my husband and his family in the village. I have a wonderful, loving, reliable husband, a caring father for children, but it was better not to stutter about God and the Church with him. I could only dream of Sunday school for children. And children grow up, grow up, and it becomes clear that to strengthen them in the faith, new knowledge and communication with Orthodox children are needed, which we so lacked. And she showed such a spiritual thirst that after talking with her husband, she enrolled her children in Sunday school and herself began to attend adult classes twice a week in the evenings.
At first everything was fine, we enthusiastically plunged into a new life, without which we could not imagine ourselves. Only our poor dad got meaner and meaner. If he was still taking the kids to class, he took a big hit on me. Having first given up one and then another occupation, I prayed that at least the children would finish their studies before the summer, and then look and calm down. But even in the summer, communion once a month caused a storm of emotions.
By the new school year, I did not think about myself, as long as the children continued to study. After a couple of months it became very sad, and I decided to go to the grave to Blessed Xenia. With tears asked her about one thing: that her husband softened, not nervous so much, because among other things, and his health it affected very much, there were heart problems.
After some time, I started talking again about the fact that I want to return to church singing classes at least once a week — my husband did not mind! I started singing, attending other classes too! — Husband didn’t mind or get angry! I again went to see Xenia, fervently thanked her and asked her not to leave us with my prayer in the future. And then, during Lent, my husband got together, before the upcoming operation attended the prayer service, prayed, but before even on the threshold of the Temple did not want to step. But the miracles didn’t end there!
Our youngest son began to sing in the children’s choir at Sunday school, and at Bright Week I, along with my son and the choir, was supposed to go to Moscow for the Easter Festival, but on Holy Week I got sick with the flu. She’s seriously ill. I was not at the Easter service — I was lying with a high temperature, but my husband took the children to the service!!! How happy they’ve come back!
And then he went to Moscow instead of me. He accompanied children everywhere, visited monasteries, attached himself to shrines! He returned happy, calm, affectionate. Now it is not only his own children who love him. In the summer we went to an Orthodox camp. My husband led the construction team, I was a tutor in the junior squad, and our children are with us.
My husband has not yet become a church, as we would like, but I believe that the Lord will not abandon us, and Holy Blessed Mother Xeniuszka will always help us. What a feat she took to save her husband! He does not leave us sinners behind.
Thank God for everything! Blessed Mother Xenia, pray to God for us!
Anastasia Ovansova
Holy Land Charitable Foundation
Investment in the Soul!
Orthodox stories from life
