- Veronika Alekseyenko
One Bali Priest is No Longer Hungry
Recently, as you may know, we had a campaign to raise funds for Fr. Aleksander Kobesi in Bali. We were so pleased when many of you answered the call for help. But not as pleased as Fr. Aleksander. He literally relies on your generosity for food and Liturgical supplies. When I first had the pleasure to share the news of the fundraiser success Fr. Aleksander was speechless. He was so moved that generous donors like you raised enough funds for over a year's worth of food and Liturgical supplies for an unknown priest. Thank you for supporting hard working clergy like Fr. Aleksander. It brings us so much joy to work with kindhearted donors like yourself! A few days later I followed up with Fr. Aleksander and here's what he had to say.
Tell us a little about your first reaction to receiving a confirmed year's worth of food and Church supplies from the donors?
First of all my family and I were very happy and grateful to receive food from donors. We could not imagine that the donors who were so kind to us in the ROCOR Orthodox Bali mission. Although we don't know their names one by one, but we always remember them every day in our prayers both in the morning and at evening. To the extent that my second daughter, Crescent Myra asked me, father, where did you know them, so they were very good at helping us. I could not immediately answer my daughter's question, but we remember them in our intention of prayers, I said that the donors were Good people sent from God, because the GOODness and LOVE of the donors was a channel of God's goodness and love, "God is love". (1 John 4: 8).
That is why we are incessantly praying for donors, without donors this mission cannot go well.
Were there any urgent needs that this money helped fulfill?
I bought clothes for my daughters because their old clothes were no longer suitable to wear. Their bodies are getting taller, so their clothes also need to be adjusted to their height. The most urgent needs are food, Liturgical supplies such as wine and prosphora flour.
Are there any new developments in your parish?
This month I have a new baptisms members again, she is a baby. She was a daughter of Nicholas and Agatha. Perhaps one family will be joined [in marriage] in December 2019.
Have you set any goals for the next coming year? If so, what are they?
Besides I am still continuing the 2019 program of visiting families and increasing the number of people, in 2020, we will establish a new program which is a scholarship for school children. Why because children are the future assets of the Orthodox church. We are thinking about this new program, hopefully it will be carried out in the coming year.
What message would you like to relay to our donors for their generosity in supporting the Bali mission?
My message to donors: this mission is the mission of Christ, our common mission. If we want the Russian Orthodox mission to develop well in Indonesia, especially in Bali, then we still need financial support from you. We pay your generosity with our prayers. Occasionally you (the donor) may visit Bali to get a close look at the real conditions of this Orthodox mission.
Bali is an Orthodox mission area, the name "Orthodox" is still unfamiliar to most people in Bali. We did not receive financial support from the Indonesian government.
Thank you very much to the donors, we really appreciate your concern and kindness for the Bali Orthodox mission. May God continue to bless you and your families. Amen.
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