One day, we planned to perform christenings in a village called Andranobinaly, which suffers greatly because of drought. People walk 15 kilometres to get to the nearest source of water for their daily requirements. The children in this village are particularly underweight and malnourished. Even their livestock, buffaloes and goats are dying because of the drought, and we often see the carcasses of some of their animals. All this made us feel dejected. As soon as we arrived, the Christians told us that it had not rained for a whole year. We prepared for the baptism ceremony by placing the baptismal font under a shady tree because the village did not have a church yet. There were many goats near us bleating desperately for a little water.
It was difficult to perform baptisms in this area, as we had to transport the water for the baptisms from the neighbouring area in metal containers. These we had purchased at a cost of about 2,000 Ar, ariary, each (€1 = Ar 3,812.61). Although we were happy that so many people would embrace Orthodoxy, we were also sad to see so much poverty.
On this day, a volunteer priest from Greece performed the baptism. The locals were dressed in their white robes and were standing quietly as the baptism began. Then, something unusual happened: the goats near us, which had been bleating so loudly, stopped bleating and started to watch us as the priest said aloud: ‘Lord God present Yourself now through the Holy Spirit and descend from Heaven to sanctify this water.’ The goats knelt and watched the baptism with impressive silence. We marvelled at seeing the animals kneeling and worshiping the Holy Spirit as He descended to perform the Sacrament. Here, in this poor, forgotten village, we witnessed the Presence of the Lord among us.
When the baptisms had finished, it was time to empty the water from the baptismal font so we could reload it onto the trailer. The elder of the village approached us and begged us to give the baptismal water to the animals that were suffering from a lack of water, but the priest explained that this could not be done because the water was blessed and holy. The villagers humbly accepted his explanation, and they all helped to dig a large hole into which the holy water was poured and covered with soil: in this way, the holy water wouldn't be trodden on. The priest promised them that God would bless them for their obedience and humiliation. After a while, clouds began to gather in the sky and in a few minutes, drops began to fall - the second miracle had happened! The children began to dance enthusiastically. The adults were applauding and singing. A few minutes later, a heavy rainfall watered the thirsty land and filled the empty water tanks and the children, overjoyed, ran naked from their mud huts to play in the rain.
What a spectacle! The elders were shouting, ‘We are blessed by the Father. Yes, we have been blessed. As you said, so it is." We were left speechless with tears in our eyes because God had truly blessed them and us on this unforgettable day.
One day, we planned to perform christenings in a village called Andranobinaly, which suffers greatly because of drought. People walk 15 kilometres to get to the nearest source of water for their daily requirements. The children in this village are particularly underweight and malnourished. Even their livestock, buffaloes and goats are dying because of the drought, and we often see the carcasses of some of their animals. All this made us feel dejected. As soon as we arrived, the Christians told us that it had not rained for a whole year. We prepared for the baptism ceremony by placing the baptismal font under a shady tree because the village did not have a church yet. There were many goats near us bleating desperately for a little water.
It was difficult to perform baptisms in this area, as we had to transport the water for the baptisms from the neighbouring area in metal containers. These we had purchased at a cost of about 2,000 Ar, ariary, each (€1 = Ar 3,812.61). Although we were happy that so many people would embrace Orthodoxy, we were also sad to see so much poverty.
On this day, a volunteer priest from Greece performed the baptism. The locals were dressed in their white robes and were standing quietly as the baptism began. Then, something unusual happened: the goats near us, which had been bleating so loudly, stopped bleating and started to watch us as the priest said aloud: ‘Lord God present Yourself now through the Holy Spirit and descend from Heaven to sanctify this water.’ The goats knelt and watched the baptism with impressive silence. We marvelled at seeing the animals kneeling and worshiping the Holy Spirit as He descended to perform the Sacrament. Here, in this poor, forgotten village, we witnessed the Presence of the Lord among us.
When the baptisms had finished, it was time to empty the water from the baptismal font so we could reload it onto the trailer. The elder of the village approached us and begged us to give the baptismal water to the animals that were suffering from a lack of water, but the priest explained that this could not be done because the water was blessed and holy. The villagers humbly accepted his explanation, and they all helped to dig a large hole into which the holy water was poured and covered with soil: in this way, the holy water wouldn't be trodden on. The priest promised them that God would bless them for their obedience and humiliation. After a while, clouds began to gather in the sky and in a few minutes, drops began to fall - the second miracle had happened! The children began to dance enthusiastically. The adults were applauding and singing. A few minutes later, a heavy rainfall watered the thirsty land and filled the empty water tanks and the children, overjoyed, ran naked from their mud huts to play in the rain.
What a spectacle! The elders were shouting, ‘We are blessed by the Father. Yes, we have been blessed. As you said, so it is." We were left speechless with tears in our eyes because God had truly blessed them and us on this unforgettable day.