big news warrants big favors
So, I might as well break the news to my audience at large: I am going to Russia next month(!).
The intinerary includes Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Diveevo, and Optina. It really will be more of a pilgrimage, more than anything, as our major sightseeing stops will be monasteries & the like.
How am I paying for this, one might ask? No, I did not win the lottery. I did break my proverbial piggy bank, though. I say "proverbial", only because I dont keep my savings in an actual piece of pink glazed ceramic. And its going to be a scrape coming up with "getting around" money.
That's why I am accepting donations. (I have a PayPal account.) God willing, I will be able to venerate the relics of St. Sergius, St. Seraphim, the Optina Elders, and many more in Moscow particularly. So this is what I can do: everyone who can contribute (even a little- every little helps!), I will take their name down (along with their loved ones, if they like), and leave their names at the relics, particularly at St. Sergius & St. Seraphim, where services are done around the clock, and there are monastics who will read the lists. Sound like a good deal?
Its not that Im not working- I am. But this is in some ways a little too much at once. This turned out to be kind of a last minute decision on my part, after some financial wallops. And although it might have been a poor decision, financially speaking, I felt that it was an excellent opportunity, in the end. And if you dont want to give anything, that's fine- nobody's forcing you. :)
Also, if anyone can give me any advice selling my old computer, that would be swell. Its an old Mac G4, without a hard drive, but with a monitor & keyboard. If anyone has some good ideas, leave a comment or email me!