Memory Verse

“I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.” —Jeremiah 31:13

Dear Grandchildren,

As you remember from last time, as I was going through the fields, I heard in the distance the beautiful singing of the choir. They were practicing the beautiful Psalms they sing in Russian Orthodox churches. I had never heard anything so glorious. Of course, I was too far away to hear the words, but the music was so harmonious, so heartrending, that my soul just could not hold all of the beauty that I was experiencing all at once. I felt that all of the glory that I saw and heard around me was drowning my soul, and big tears ran in streams down my cheeks. It was a wonderful moment for me. I was alone in the field and yet I knew that someone else was with me, right beside me.

As I stood there and cried, I began to pray that God would answer my prayer. I so much wanted to be a part of that choir which sang like a heavenly chorus. From that moment, a strange feeling came to me that the Lord would answer my prayer and that, with the rest of the choir members, I would someday go to America.

But that week I experienced some great disappointments. The next day, on the first day of the convention, I was going to sing before two thousand people as the judges decided who would be the one included in the choir. You would never guess what happened! I lost my voice completely. All I could do was whisper. I was so sad when I thought that I had come all this way for nothing and that I would never be able to be in that choir. I felt like crying.

As I struggled with my feelings, a strange man came towards me. He introduced himself as Dr. Konstanty Jaroshevich, the missionary who was organizing the choir. I liked him right away.

He said to me, “So you are one of the members too?”

I answered that I was to sing a solo before the crowd, but that I had lost my voice on the way to the convention and couldn’t do it.

He replied, “Well, you might be able to sing a duet, or trio, and we would be able to separate the cream from the milk.”

I sang many times as the judges listened to my voiceless songs. I sang duets, trios, and quartets, as well as with the choir. I was to hear the results at the end of the convention. Miss Jankovska sang also, and she appeared to be very, very happy.

All that week, I would go away to some lonely place and pray. I would wake up early in the morning and would go behind the big barn and pray, not knowing that Dr. Jaroshevich followed me a few times without being seen.

At the end of the convention, I was told that I couldn’t possibly stand the strain of singing so much when the choir went to America.

Before I left for home, Dr. Jaroshevich came up to me and said, “Don’t give up. Just keep on praying.” He told me that he saw me going away to pray.

I was so encouraged, and he was so warm and gracious that I thought to myself, “I have never met a nicer person in my whole life.” How I loved his preaching at the conference. It stirred my heart so much to want to love and trust the Lord more than ever before.

When I left the conference that day, this time someone took me the five miles to the bus. But although I was disappointed, I had a strange feeling that it was not the end to everything. I believed that the Lord would do something wonderful yet. —Grandma Nadzia

***Questions***

1. Have you ever experienced a great disappointment like Nadzia? What was it?

2. Nadzia often prayed alone. What does God say about prayer? See Matthew 6:6.

3. Nadzia prayed very hard and believed that God had special plans for her. What do you think God did for her in the next letter? What has He done for you?