Safety and Peace

Hey Guys,

Yesterday I bore my testimony and I shared a story about when I was younger. I would be scared in the middle of the night of robbers or kid-nappers or people like that and I would go to my parents room and sleep on the floor or with them. I don't remember the exact age I was when this happened, but one night I was scared once again, but this time I decided to try something different than going into my parent's room. I decided that I would pray for my safety and to feel peace. After I prayed, I actually felt better. I felt that safety and peace. I felt as though, even if something were to happen, that it would be okay because God was watching over me. I knew that I felt the spirit of God with me that night comforting me through it all. To this day, I still pray for this safety and peace at night and I always feel the same peaceful reminder that I will be okay and that God, my father, really does love me. And because of his love for me I know that he is there and that he is watching over me. And I know that he doesn't just love me but all of us here and that is why I am so grateful to be here and to share this message. That God is there. That he wants to help you. To talk to you. To comfort you. 

I love all you guys and wish you a great week.

Elder Houk

Today the boys hiked to Orheiul Vechi

Orheiul Vechi Monastery Complex

"Ten kilometers to the southeast of Orhei city lies Orheiul Vechi (Old Orhei; marked on maps as the village of Trebujeni).

This is arguably Moldova’s most fantastic sight. The chimerical Orheiul Vechi Monastery Complex is carved into a massive limestone cliff in this wild, rocky, remote spot. Getting here ain’t easy (forget about public transportation), but it’s well worth the effort. The Cave Monastery (Manastire in Pestera), inside a cliff overlooking the modest Raut River, was dug by Orthodox monks in the 13th century. It remained inhabited until the 18th century, and in 1996 a handful of monks returned and began restoring it.

Shorts are forbidden and women must cover their heads inside the monastery. A small, moody chapel is part of the complex, which acts as a church for three neighboring villages, as it did in the 13th century. Adjacent is the area where up to 13 monks lived for decades at a time, sleeping on pure bedrock in tiny stone nooks (chilii), opening into a central corridor. There’s also a stone terrace, from where views of the entire cliff and surrounding plains are nothing less than breathtaking.

The cliff face is dotted with additional caves and places of worship, dug over the millennia by Geto-Dacian tribes from before Christ’s time. In all, the huge cliff contains six complexes of interlocking caves, most of which are accessible only by experienced rock climbers and therefore off-limits to most tourists.

After WWII archaeologists started uncovering several layers of history in this region, including a fortress built in the 14th century by Stefan cel Mare, later destroyed by Tartars, and the remnants of a defense wall surrounding the monastery complex from the 15th century. Some of their finds are on exhibit in Chisinau’s National History Museum.

In the 18th century the cave-church was taken over by villagers from neighboring Butuceni. In 1905 they built an additional church above ground dedicated to the Ascension of St Mary. This church was shut down by the Soviets in 1944 and remained abandoned throughout the Communist regime. Services resumed in 1996." http://romaniaandmoldova.com/moldova/orheiul-vechi/

"The chimerical Orheiul Vechi Monastery Complex is carved into a massive limestone cliff in this wild, rocky, remote spot."

"...up to 13 monks lived for decades at a time, sleeping on pure bedrock in tiny stone nooks (chilii), opening into a central corridor."

The Cave Monastery (Manastire in Pestera), inside a cliff overlooking the modest Raut River, was dug by Orthodox monks in the 13th century.