REPENTANCE



The brothers managed to bring the community together due to this issue and reach a rare unanimity among the members and churchgoers. Our enthusiasm and mood were transferred to the members of neighboring churches. Moreover, our special fund received donations even from other cities. After the service, people remained in the parking lot for quite a long time, discussing what they had heard.

That time nobody had any doubts. When we bought our first church building from some Romanian brothers several years before, we had a significant number of discussions, trying to decide if it was worth buying. Finally, the decision was made: we were taking it. The crucial factor was its price, just 150,000 dollars (that was a modest figure even at that time), and the fact that the building we had rented before from the First Slavic Church was going to be sold to some African American people. They had offered a lot of money for it (that they didn’t pay) and, to our displeasure, immediately moved in.

 As the landlords-to-be, they suggested that we should shift the time of our services and took half of our time during the week. Thus, the prospect of staying further on Franklin didn’t hold any promise for us.

At that time we couldn’t offer our brothers from the First Slavic Church even a half of the sum that had been promised by the would-be buyers. By and large, the House of Prayer on Franklin wasn’t worth this money, that’s why the offer shocked everyone. Frankly, it seemed implausible that the deal could really be fulfilled. But for the First Slavic Church, the temptation was so great, that even Fyodor Petrovich Karpets, for whom the building on Franklin was especially dear (he had been the pastor there from the very beginning) agreed to the sale.

In the end, it went exactly as the old famous American saying goes: “It was too good to be true.” The would-be buyers never paid the money, and having frayed the brothers’ nerves for long enough and painted the building purple and pink, eventually, moved out.

This story gave a strong incentive for our church to purchase the building on Welland Street, which we never regretted afterwards.

At that wonderful time, our church had 150 members and the building designed for 200-230 people could comfortably fit us and our children. And with the help of Deacon Daniil Andreev, a former submariner, the place was dubbed “a submarine” due to its low ceiling and walls without windows.

Now it belongs to the Pacific Union of Slavic Churches. The editorial office of the newspaper “Our Days” moved in there as well, to the great joy of its editor-in-chief, Nikolay Vodnevskiy. Before that, they had been confined in an old tiny church apartment, that somebody very fittingly called “a birdhouse”. It must be mentioned that those who had at least once climbed its old wooden creaky stairs, will have to admit the validity of this title.

The history of our church started in 1994, when about sixty people quit the church on Solano Street in Bryte and decided to organize an independent church. We held our first services at the city library, but soon arranged with American Baptists to rent their building on 15^th Street. That’s why, for a long time afterwards people used to call us “The Church on15^th Street.”

 So, on that sunny Sunday afternoon we already had a past experience to remember. Having spent around three years in our “submarine”, we faced the prospect of acquiring a real church building in the center of West Sacramento. Our church consisted of about 300 members and the expansion of church space became a vital necessity.

During that time, we came across several potential locations that caused serious disagreement among the church members and then the building on Willow Street was put up for sale. The main hall, the choir stage and the balcony could fit more than 500 people. A separate dining room, a kitchen, spacious classrooms, a high ceiling in the hall and comfortable benches were a real answer to our prayers.

The building cost 600 000 dollars. At the emergency meeting, we unanimously decided to offer the seller 5000 dollars more to eliminate all doubts about the seriousness of our intentions. Finally, that Sunday we got the much-awaited answer. Our offer was accepted and the contract of sale had already been signed. The subject we all discussed in the parking lot, as well as at home was the same: we bought a new church. Like children, we rejoiced and thanked God for this blessing.

Like other immigrant churches, ours included people from many former Soviet Union republics. Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, the Baltic states, autonomous and registered, like a big family we gathered in our “submarine” and felt like we had known each other for ages. People who went through those exciting days will never forget the spirit of love and unity that filled our hearts. In this sense, the immigrant communities are a prototype of the coming Universal Church, where the Lord will gather His children of all tribes, peoples, generations and languages and no differences in their past lives will be a hindrance.

In such good spirits, having finally parted with their friends, Andrey and Elena arrived at their house. With the habitual turn of the key, Andrey opened the door, warmed by the midday sun, and they came in, still discussing the latest news. Having closed the door, they went to the bedroom to change.

When Lena first came into the room, she didn’t understand anything.

-        Oh, what is going on? – she cried out upon seeing clothes and bedding haphazardly scattered on the floor. The next moment she saw that a light curtain of transparent tulle, hanging over the bedroom window, was moving.

-        Oh my God, look, the window is open. But when we were leaving for the meeting, everything was okay…– she said, looking at Andrey.

For several minutes they just silently looked around the room, still not believing their eyes, but it was clear that their house had been visited by uninvited guests.

Andrey went to the chest of drawers, where they usually kept their money, and having opened the top drawer, found that 500 dollars they had left before going to the church was gone.

The unpleasant feeling of loss slowly spread with a chill inside him, gradually overshadowing the feeling of joy, acquired in the church. They walked through the rest of the rooms. The mess was everywhere, but their clothes, shoes and stereo were in their places. Apparently, the only thing that interested the burglars was money.

Frustrated, Lena started cleaning up, while Andrey went out to the yard and began to inspect the windows overlooking the middle of the yard. On the bedroom window he found marks from either a big screwdriver or a tire iron. The bent aluminum frame indicated the place where the burglars managed to force open the window locks.

They decided not to call the police. First of all, it was troublesome, and secondly, it would be very hard to find and prove anything, because they hadn’t marked the bills or written down their serial numbers. So, they prayed, asking that these bad people would be put into God’s hands, and sat down to dinner.

-        Andrey, I think it was one of “our people”, because they chose this particular Sunday morning, knowing that everyone would be at the meeting. – Lena said.

-        Very likely, - Andrey nodded.

The feeling of loss was worsened by another unfortunate circumstance. Previously, the council suggested that all church members bring one thousand dollars per family in order to purchase a House of Prayer, that’s why before going to the church they discussed how much they should take that day to make a donation. They had a thousand dollars in cash in the house, and at first they wanted to contribute the whole sum to the purchase fund, but then they thought it wasn’t reasonable to leave the family with no money at all, and decided to donate half of the sum first and then add the other half the following month.

-        Just wow, - Lena lamented, - we are left with no money after all. It would be better if it was in the church treasury, instead of in the burglar’s pocket.

-        Right. – Andrey sighed slowly. – That’s true. But what can we do? We’ll get by somehow. Five hundred dollars is certainly not a big loss, but the fact that some strangers broke into our house, rummaged in your drawers and closets – that’s pretty unpleasant…

Time heals all wounds, as the proverb says. Their case was not an exception: annoyance gradually dissipated, every new day brought its share of new worries, and as time went on, they recalled this nasty incident less and less often.

One morning two years later Andrey went to buy some building materials, Lena took the older children to school and the two-year-old Mark, having slept enough, was playing in his room. For a housewife it was a perfect time to clean up and make lunch. It was a pleasure to cook in their bright, spacious kitchen. On that sunny day Elena was in a good mood and she got completely immersed in household chores, from time to time listening to how little Mark was doing there.

Suddenly, the door bell rang. “Who could it be?” – Lena thought, going to the door. “I’m not expecting anyone at this hour. At this time everyone is usually busy with work or school …”

 She opened the door, and saw a strange skinny young man standing there. He looked about eighteen or twenty years old. Looking at him with surprise, she thought it must have been a friend of her oldest son, Arthur.

         Seeing Elena in the open door, he greeted her and asked, a little embarrassed:

-        Is the owner of the house here?

-        No, - Lena answered, - he’s at work. He’ll be home in the evening.

-        Are you his wife? – the guy continued.

-        Yes, did you want to talk to him? Can I take a message?

-        No, thank you. You know, I can probably say what I need to say to you... I just thought it would be better if the owner of the house was here as well – he said, feeling uneasy.

Then he awkwardly reached into the pocket of his blue jeans and pulled out several bills folded in half.

-        Here, take it, - he said, handing her the money, - it’s five hundred dollars.

“It’s probably related to construction, or car repair” – was her first thought.

But the next moment he said:

-        Please, forgive me. It was me who stole your money two years ago. But now I have repented. A few months ago I was praying in church and I promised myself that I would definitely return to people everything I had once stolen from them. Take it, please. I have earned this money honestly. And for God’s sake, forgive me.

That was the last thing Lena expected to hear. Taking the money automatically, she muttered uncomfortably: “That’s okay. We were upset at the time, but as time went on, we let it go …”

For a few more seconds they stood in silence at the door and then he said “goodbye” and headed for the intersection.

In the evening, Andrey and Lena had a deep conversation about this event. All the details of the theft were recalled again. They spoke about how true their assumption was, and the burglar was, in fact, from their community. But most of all, of course, they talked about the young man himself.

“Lena, - Andrey was getting excited, deeply moved by what this young man had done, - just think about it, nobody knew him, everything would have been, as they say, kept under wraps, and we didn’t even call the police, but nevertheless, he came to us himself. And we thought there weren’t normal people among the young ones. And here he is…

-        You shouldn’t have taken this money to reward him for what he did, - Andrey couldn’t stop, - for such a young man, this money must have been hard to earn.

-        I was so bewildered, - Lena made a helpless gesture,- that it didn’t even occur to me.

-        Anyone would be confused in this situation, - Andrey agreed, - things like that don’t happen every day. After all, you and I said goodbye to that money a long time ago. And now this happened. Did you ask him what his name was?

-        No, - Lena replied, - I didn’t know what to tell him out of confusion. I didn’t ask for his name, or where his family came from, nothing at all – Lena lamented. - I took the money, as if I was sleeping, thanked him and he just left and walked toward the turn. - she nodded towards Sacramento Avenue. – A thin guy, dark-haired, dressed in a white shirt and jeans. Just like all the other boys, nothing unusual.

Lying in bed after evening prayer with his hands behind his head, Andrey was looking thoughtfully at the twilight of the room. Breaking the silence, he said:

-Lena, look how interesting this all turned out. His good deed today warmed our souls. After the chagrin we experienced, God not only returned our loss, but also rewarded us with this great joy that we are feeling now, seeing the result of sincere repentance. It means that he really loves God. It is written that perfect love drives away fear, and today we saw an example of true love. Because when he came to our house, he didn’t know how we would react. What if back then we had called the police, and now he could be arrested? He didn’t know anything and didn’t want to know, because he loved God so much that he wasn’t afraid of all these possible problems. Like Zacchaeus, who having met Jesus, decided to pay back everyone whom he had ever cheated, this guy decided to make up for his sin… It was not an impulse, since he had to work hard for many days after his repentance, before he earned the entire sum. And he didn’t lose his steam during that time, didn’t change his mind, but followed through with his decision.

- Yes, - Elena agreed, - It was the birth of a Christian. I think God will bless his life now.

Andrey nodded his head in agreement and, looking at the dark bedroom ceiling, silently smiled at his thoughts.

Meanwhile, the Milky Way, in the warm Californian night sky, as a dark-blue veil, covered the dome of the Universe, and was decorating it with diamond lights of constellations. Looking from the heights of heaven at the tired earth, at the dozing flakes of rare clouds floating over the sleeping cities and towns, at the faces of the sleeping Andrey and Elena, enlightened by the recent experience, myriads of diamond lights, circling in a leisurely starry kaleidoscope, blessed the earth with their gentle light and were glad that one more soul had found a homeland in the radiant abodes of eternity.