The Monastery

I know this seems backward, but I felt like I needed to begin my Moldova update from near the end of the trip.  I’m not really sure why I do these things.  However, sit back and relax as I take you on a tour of The Monastery.

Quick sidebar – you will notice throughout some of these photos that there is a white dove in them.  This was extremely encouraging for me as my mother went to be with the Lord in September of last year.  Early on in her battle with cancer, a white dove randomly landed near her (which is odd because they are very finicky).  That dove went home and remained with her for about a year before leaving on his own.  She called him Noah.  It helped me to feel as if she was there with me.

These are the hands of a young boy, no older than 10, who skillfully whittles away at some stone.  This is one of the first sights you witness walking the path to the monastery.  The stone is very soft and easily formidable.  They use their tools to carve out of this stone some very impressive figurines in the shape of churches with steeples, crosses, and other neat items.  It is a dusty job as you can see.

This is how they make a living and help provide for their families.  They have a display set up where they sell the figurines to tourists passing by.  Or tourists, like ourselves, can watch as they form and shape in a very creative fashion.  As sad as this reality may seem, the boys genuinely enjoyed having an audience to show their skills off to.  Rather than playing or riding a bike, as most young boys their age would do, they artistically create in order to provide.

This scene is common throughout certain areas of Moldova since it is the poorest nation in Eastern Europe.  Kids do what they can when they can in order to help the family make ends meet.  Many do not attend school at all.  If they do, it may only be for a certain number of years.  However, the gift of creativity these boys have no doubt helps them to bring in their fair share.

A little farther up the path and you find yourself heading toward a random building with a bell in the top.  I am unsure as to what they call this, yet as you can see, people are entering the mysterious opening in the side of the hill.  Inside is where we will go next.

I did take photos of the actual shrine inside the tomb-like cave, but the lighting was horrible and so were the photos.  However, I did get a photo of this interesting and somewhat creepy area.  The only decent photo I had of this included myself.  All others had someone’s butt in it since you cannot stand up in there.

This was interesting due to the fact that this is where monks would sleep.  Yup, that’s what I said.  They slept here.  Bugs and spiders and all.  Though it is not exactly the most efficient or even comfortable place to rest your head, it is well protected from the elements and wildlife.  The monks committed themselves to serving the Lord through various rites and rituals throughout the day and even into the night.  When it came time to count some sheep, this became home.

 

At the top of the path overlooking the valley below and just above the creepy cave they called a bed, this cross stands strong as a symbol of hope.  It is a beautiful sight indeed – much better than any of my photos could show.

The cross literally stands at the center of our faith as Christians.  Without it, we would remain hopeless in this world.  However, Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice upon the old rugged cross provides so much hope and faith for us who believe.  He became the sacrifice so that we could boldly come to the throne of grace and receive forgiveness from a Father Who once seemed so far away.  Jesus brought the Father to us and us to Him, no longer separated by the condemnation of our sinful lives.  We can now, thanks to Him, receive the love He has always desired to lavish on us.

I am thankful for Him and for the cross.  This opportunity would not have ever come my way in the life I once lived.

This is the gateway into the actual monastery.  I did not take very many photos once inside.  To be honest, as far as size is concerned, there isn’t much to it.  But they did have some really beautiful landscaping going on.

This is the monastery from the outside.  The gold on top is actual gold – like, 24K gold.  Ok, it’s gold-plated.  But still, it’s gold.  The real stuff.

Some things about the building have been modernized in some ways.  But for the most part, it has remained untouched by history.

And now we come to my favorite part of this journey…

It’s an open door – an invitation, if you will, lovingly encouraging us to check our hearts before entering.  It’s intimidating just standing on the outside.  You’re not allowed to take photos of the inside, so what you see just in the door is all you’ll get.  You will have to fly to Moldova to see the rest for yourself.  But I will do my best to put into words what I saw and felt.

Psalm 114:7 says; “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.”  This is not a fearful “tremble” as we tend to understand it.  Rather, it is stating the reverence and awe that we experience when we come into His presence.  That is the best way I know how to express the feelings I had walking into that little room.  There was a reverence required once inside.  You almost couldn’t help it.

In that room, I felt, quite literally, the presence of God.  Words are nearly impossible to put together in order to properly describe it.  But you just knew He was there.  So much in fact that it brought tears to my eyes and my skin tingled.  I felt exposed before Him – not in a bad way, but there was a realization of His power and that He knew everything about me.  It felt like love as only He could make it feel.  I didn’t want to leave.  I knew for a fact that His presence dwells inside that room the moment my foot hit the threshold.

The paintings inside are amazing as well.  Obviously, there is a painting of Jesus at the very top of the dome’s interior.  From there all around the room are similar paintings of Paul the Apostle, Peter, John and many others who were a part of the early church.  There were also paintings of historical figures such as Martin Luther.  At the very front of the room is a sign that says; “He Has Risen.”  I really wanted to break the rules and snap a photo or two.  But the fear of being struck dead kept me from doing so.

And that concludes our journey through the Moldovan monastery.  I hope you enjoyed it.  Though it is obviously impossible to fully enjoy without being there, maybe I was able to bring you a little closer to this place and my experience there.  It truly is a wonderful place.  I pray that this nation finds her identity and becomes the beacon of hope for Europe that she was meant to be.

 

Thank you for tagging along.  Continue to be on the lookout for the next installment of our Moldova 2018 journey.