Missionary Field Journal

Through the Cross, JOY!!

(View of the dome of the Resurrection Cathedral from the bell tower)

June 1, 2014

(The Consecration of the Cathedral)

2.000 people flooding into the church. 2,000 people receiving Christ at communion. 2,000 people witnessed the consecration of the Resurrection Cathedral, the third largest Orthodox church in Europe People didn't stop flooding into the church until after the gospel. LAUDI ZOTIT! GLORY TO GOD!

Thank God for Disney because my crowd skills were just what I needed to weave myself through the masses. I saw a priest who kept getting pushed by the people behind him. I stopped smiled at him, "Glory be to God for all the people," I said to him. He was going to respond but an umbrella opened next to him and a man started to speak to him in Albanian. Then I felt it on my skin. Rain. 2,000 people were trying to follow Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop Anastasios and other religious patriarchs and leaders into the church and it was starting to rain.

I remember grabbing Fiona's hand telling her to hold on and not to let go. That is when I started making through the crowd and up to the second floor balcony of the Cathedral. We had the best seats. We could see everyone and everything inside and outside the chapel. The service was long and the people in the church made it feel like a sauna. I sat and soaked in this chaotically beautiful, once in a lifetime experience. As the chanters sang, I watched the liturgy continue and played a little game of 'Where is Waldo' to find the rest of the Hellenic College Holy Cross crew. Aside from the fact that a couple thousand people were there, it was hard to keep track of everyone because Orthros was done in the Nativity Chapel like the vespers was done yesterday. This experience was even more special because the senior trip participants from our school in Boston were also here. How great is this! Being able to share this joy with them and with our new friends in Albania!

(Consecration of the Cathedral)

The liturgy was long but it went by faster than I thought it would have. The consecration was full of commotion and in a way stressful. There was really no time for rest the entire day. Even after the liturgy when we had lunch and walked in the park with Ana Baba we were on a schedule so we could make it back in time for the "festival" which was a show in honor of the Ecumenical Patriarch, Archbishop Anastasios and of coarse the consecration. At the festival we sat in the front row and watched as everyone performed. My favorite was of coarse the dance from the Home of Hope Children. I felt like a mother. I was so proud of them all! They did such an amazing job. I got to catch up with the my buddy the Ecumenical Patriarch after the event. Then I also saw Archbishop Anastasios and when I introduced my self he laughed and said "I know you!" then he gave me a blessing.

It is funny that after this entire day has unraveled I am so drained that I am at a loss for words on how to describe multitude of this event. Everything is mostly a blur like I said it felt like everything went so fast. I think the pictures I took today speak for themselves though, this really was a magnificent resurrection!!