A Letter Sent to Our Gracious Donors on the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, September 21/8, 2026
Greetings in Christ!
There are no words to describe our gratitude to you for helping make our pilgrimage to France and Serbia possible. It is a movement of the heart which cannot be captured sufficiently with ink and paper. However, we would like to try by offering a few snapshots of our journey.
Because of your generous donation, we were able to focus on the beauty of God’s creation and immerse ourselves in prayer. When monasteries provide accommodations for travelers, there is no contract or receipt as when staying in a hotel. However, it is spiritually beneficial to provide a donation in exchange for the hospitality received. Thanks to you, we were able to generously offer donations to our hosts, who took excellent care of us, as well as to the various places we visited. As the Scriptures say, “Freely ye received, freely do ye give” (Matthew 10:8).
Our first few days were spent in a small French village named Bussy-en-Othe, which was truly like a dream from another world and provided a much-needed mental reset. We tried wild grapes that tasted like champagne, drank directly from a natural spring, walked through a serene and awe-inspiring forest, ate about 5 different kinds of French cheese on baguettes for breakfast, and learned the proper use of the phrase “Oh là là.” Apparently, you don’t have to overemphasize it when exclaiming that something is very beautiful. It’s basically like saying, “Oh my!”
Another highlight from the trip was a midnight church service in which we prayed in several different languages (there are sisters there from all over the world), sang with the sisters, and drank herbal tea beneath the stars when it was over without the concern about safety and loud noise which we commonly encounter in the city. One of the sisters commented that the evening felt like a type of Pentecost. Even though we all embrace Kansas City, where God has placed us to serve the urban population, the moment of quiet was very restful and much needed.
While so much more could be written about France, we would also like to share a bit about our stay in Serbia. We stayed at Ravanica Monastery, where the original 14th-century church still stands. There are original frescoes on the stone walls which bring to life the centuries-old prayers and supplications of generations of pious Christians.
On our second day in Serbia, we visited St. Petka, the auxiliary monastery of Ravanica, which is named after a Serbian martyr. None of us could have expected what we encountered there—an undoubtable miracle that changed our lives forever. St. Petka is also home to over 100 severely disabled women who came there when they were children and have stayed for the duration of their lives. Many of them are unable to move in their beds. The most extreme case we saw was a woman who had not changed positions in 50 years and needed the same level of assistance as an infant. Yet not one instance of bed sores can be found amongst the women under the care of the monastery. Sister Svetlana, who is the primary caregiving sister at St. Petka, told us that when one of the women was transferred to a hospital because she needed additional care, she developed bed sores within 2-3 days, but she had never previously had one during her time at the monastery. This is truly unheard of in any medical facility and is a testament to the miraculous nature of their work, which is clearly protected and overseen by the Lord Himself.
The women at St. Petka monastery are provided with excellent medical care and are lovingly nourished, both physically and spiritually. They pray together and do art therapy, and the sisters who care build lasting relationships with them. We can testify to their level of spiritual health, and we would even say that they are actually the healthier ones in this regard. As soon as we entered the hall and the women’s rooms, those who could walk and speak immediately came to greet us with smiles and hugs. They asked our names, touched our faces with loving glances, and held our hands as we walked throughout the rooms. Even the women who were bedridden expressed some form of excitement to see us, giving us big smiles or making eye contact somehow.
At the end of the tour, we went outside to take a photo, which is included in this letter. What our words cannot describe, hopefully you will see therein. Being able to go to St. Petka provided an image of what is possible when serving God’s people and gave us a tremendous amount of hope. We witnessed the embodiment of the Beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” While we can be easily swayed by our moods, and our minds can get entangled in earthly cares, we saw that in the patients’ simplicity and ability to receive love, they had true joy and purity. The sisters told us that when the women pass away, their faces are no longer disfigured but become radiant and beautiful. This evidenced the reality of the eternal life— that those who appear to have the least to offer in the eyes of the world are truly glorified in Heaven.
For the last few days of our trip, we visited multiple monasteries, learned about the lives of holy Christians throughout the centuries, enjoyed and observed the virtue of Serbian hospitality, and got some much-needed rest.
Coming back to America has been an interesting transition, as we feel we have just returned from another world. With the help of your prayers, we hope to integrate our experiences into our lives and help spread the peace, faith, and joy that we witnessed in the Serbian people. Since their country is so much older than ours, we feel as though we have encountered an elder sibling about whom we had only heard stories, but had never met. Both we and the nuns at Ravanica were in tears when we departed for America, which is a testament to the spiritual connection and kinship we felt with them.
Unfortunately, only so many memories and experiences can be conveyed within a letter, but please know that we have the utmost gratitude for your contribution to a pilgrimage that was spiritually edifying and truly life-changing. We are refreshed, our thirst has been quenched, and we are ready to get back to work serving others.
In Christ,
Mati Mardarija and the Sisters of the Convent of the Mother of God, Seeker of the Lost
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