Coming to America

by Tatjana Mileski

Holy Nativity Convent

When I first came to the United States in 1997, I lived temporarily in the monastery of the Holy Nativity Convent in Boston. I worked as a volunteer in the kitchen and dining room to help the nuns prepare free meals for parishioners and guests, and I cleaned the floor in the kitchen and in the chapel. I will always remember that time when I served food for the nuns, elderly people, hungry children and young adults with severe health and financial problems. Very different people with one thing in common: they were coming every day to the monastery to receive a free meal because they had no other food and no money.

When I first came to the monastery, I was invited to the workshop located in the basement to observe how nuns were working. They were working very hard b painting icons, making icon pins, prayer ropes, stoneware plaques and silver crosses. I watched, fascinated, as they poured liquid silver into a mold, waited for it to cool and become solid, and then carefully took the shapes of the mold. These crosses truly were lovingly "hand made".

Also, once a year, the nuns would travel to the Holy Land. In addition to the items they made themselves, the nuns were able to sell a selection of goods imported from Holy Land: mother-of-pearl and olive wood crosses, brooches, boxes and other carved articles. Most of the nativity products -- especially the mother-of-pearl and olive wood items -- were imported from the Holy Land.

While I was staying at the convent, I was given an icon pin of Saint Tatiana as a gift because my name is Tatiana. It has been over eight years and I am still asking Saint Tatiana to intercede for me.

Obeying God

Traditionally, one of the ways the nuns showed obedience to God was by fasting four times each year. The most important time of fasting is during Lent, just before Easter. During the Lenten fast, the nuns are not allowed to eat certain foods such as meat or butter, so there diet consisted of things like tofu, beans, rice, bread, potatoes, and other fruits and vegetables.

In the monastery, I was fasting and praying with the nuns every day and I felt excellent. I felt that I had achieved the highest peak of self-actualization. I realized that to be a good Christian I needed a strong spiritual life much more than I needed material things. The prayers made my spirit much stronger, allowing me to rise above the desires of the flesh.

Overcoming Persecution

Many of the nuns, parishioners and guests emigrated from Russia because it was difficult living in a country without freedom and democracy. They had escaped in 1945 because of the poor economy and bad political situation following World War II, but many of them had lost siblings and parents, and are still looking for them today.

They told me how the local government had persecuted the Russian Orthodox priests in Russia and the Ukraine, attempting to stop construction of new churches. Even today, the priests continue to struggle against the hostility of local authorities. They have resorted to converting old monasteries and some houses into churches.

Fighting Poverty -- Keeping the Faith

Poor families in Russian and Ukrainian regions are barely able to survive, yet they become faithful Christians. Families in these poor countries fight to keep not only their faith but themselves alive. Many times, parents must put their faith in God to protect their children against the effects of poverty, such as illness and lack of medicine.

They are very poor families, but they teach their children music and other languages. Some priests know more then 30 languages including many ancient ones. They also help young people who are depressed and considering suicide. They have even opened rehabilitation centers for them.

Poverty in the Ukraine is much worse than in Russia but the people are strong in spirit. I've had to struggle to survive so I can understand the feelings of desperation. The people in the Ukraine have said that, at times, they've felt almost dead -- lacking strength or courage. The way they get through is to simply focus on surviving in a corrupt world by maintaining a strong Christian faith.

I will always be grateful to the nuns who supported me during my early days in America. They gave me a room of my own, work to do, and helped me build a foundation. They taught me the importance of being obedient to the Lord, and the tales of their ancestors helped me to appreciate even more the freedoms I would have in this new land -- especially the freedom to practice my religion and keep the faith alive.

Life Applications:

What is being done in your city or town to help the poor and destitute?
Why is a strong spiritual life more valuable than material things?
How do you think the Russian people have been able to keep Christianity alive in the face of persecution?

Copyright 2005 by Tatjana Mileski
All rights reserved.