Prayer for a Separated Family

Friends,

We have a unique opportunity now as a parish family for which we must thank God. Our recently arrived refugees from Ukraine are a family of a mother (Natalia) and a daughter (Tatiana). But there is an 11-year old son too (Sergei) who is still in Ukraine. We are hard at work to get Sergei reunited with his family, and here is where we need your help. We need your prayers! Prayer is something quite important for us as Orthodox Christians – this is how we communicate with God – both in church and at home. But prayer is not just important – it is also incredibly useful! And the good news is, when you pray for Natalia, Tatiana, and Sergei you help them, but you also help yourself! The Lord sees your love and rewards you for that – just as he gives the best for their salvation to those for whom you are praying.

In this case there is not a specific prayer for us to use, so we must pray in own words. This reminds us that the Prayer Book is essentially a text book. That is, just as we cannot learn Calculus by simply thinking hard about Calculus, so too we cannot learn to pray without practice praying. We have prayer books available at our kiosk, and our Prayer Kit page has much help in this regard as well.

Let us pray for our brother and sisters in Christ: Natalia, Tatiana, and Sergei. That the Lord would reunite them quickly and safely. May the Lord reward you in this life and the next for your Christian Love for this family separated by war!

Asking Your Prayers,

Fr. Gregory

9/26/23 UPDATE!!! Natalia is in Poland and heading for Ukraine to pick up Sergei! PRAYERS ARE NEEDED NOW! If you haven't added Natalia, Tatiana, and Sergei to your personal prayer list NOW is the time to do this! More updates as we have them...