The fact of God's help from Lukia 27.06.2024

Christ is Risen! Happy Pascha, dear brothers and sisters! We have been praying together with you, dear fellow prayer warriors, for eight years now. And during this time, the Lord has completely transformed our lives and the lives of our loved ones. In the first year of prayer, the number of Akathists reached 13—so many problems, so many sins… And the Lord answered 12 out of 13 of my requests, except for the most cherished one—the gift of a child. Even though that was the very reason I had begun praying… At that time, I was divorced, without a job or my own home, my parents were constantly sick, and I myself had a whole bouquet of illnesses—so severe that there was no medical explanation for them. But the Lord began to change me from within and to help my family. If I were to describe all the miracles the Lord has granted us, it would turn into an entire book! To put it briefly, the Lord led my mother to baptism and gave me a job. While praying for children, I became a great-aunt, and seven beautiful babies were born into my circle of loved ones. I also became a godmother to two daughters. The Lord called me to sing in the kliros. And He sent me a loving husband (after praying to my Guardian Angel and for my future husband’s baptism). Yet, one deep and painful question remained… In my first marriage, I lost three children, and no doctors, tests, or even genetic research from Moscow could explain why they had died. 11 years of searching, waiting, and going through the endless medical maze… I am so grateful to those who, back in 2017–2018, shared their testimonies about receiving the gift of children after losing more than one child, enduring countless trials, and yet never giving up! I read their words every day and held on to hope. I had promised God that if He blessed me with a child, I would surely share my story. In addition to praying the Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos before Her icon "Unexpected Joy," I also submitted my name for commemoration in prayers with the Akathists to Saint Panteleimon and Saint Nicholas. And through their prayers, the Lord led me, step by step, toward my dream of becoming a mother! By the prayers of the saints, I met doctors who were truly sent by God (though they were devout Muslims). They finally helped me discover the reason for my children's deaths. And even this was under the protection of the saints: I took the test on the Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple, and I received the results on the Feast of Saint Nicholas! For so many years, I had reached a dead end—and suddenly, the Lord opened the way! But only when the right time had come… Then, I became pregnant again—on the first attempt! But I became proud. I thought, "Now I will prove to my ex-husband and his family that I can give birth to a living child!" And immediately, I lost the baby… My pregnancy stopped developing because of my own sins. At that moment, my faith was shaken. I couldn't understand why this had happened—especially after everything God had already revealed to me over the years. My loved ones tried to stop me, seeing how all the medical procedures and hormones were destroying me. My husband suggested we stop praying and adopt a child instead. Then, when we had completely lost hope but still managed to stand for prayer after the miscarriage, something incredible happened. During the Akathist, at the very moment the words were read about "the joy of the childless," I heard a fluttering sound behind me. I was afraid to turn around, not wanting to be distracted from the prayer. When my husband and I finished reading, we turned—and there was a young dove sitting on the chandelier! A tiny baby pigeon—a symbol of a child. It had been listening to us the whole time and hadn’t flown away. Only after a while did it take off, slipping through the curtains. At that moment, I understood—this was a sign from God! Just like the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove at Christ’s Baptism! This experience gave me the strength to keep praying. The Lord once again filled me with hope that one day, we would become parents… Through the prayers of Saint Panteleimon, new illnesses kept being discovered in me—things I had never suspected. At first, I didn’t understand why I was feeling worse instead of better. But God was revealing all my weaknesses. Several times, my reproductive specialist prepared me for pregnancy using hormonal treatments. But I was terrified—what if they caused another miscarriage? And suddenly, even my doctor realized that with my conditions, hormonal therapy was too risky. Only prayer and Holy Communion helped me endure the waiting. Once again, I prepared for pregnancy. But an ultrasound showed that my egg cell had stopped growing. The devil attacked me with despair—I was walking down the street, crying uncontrollably. Then I remembered the words from the Psalms: "Even if my family and parents abandon me, the Lord will never leave me!" I kept repeating this over and over, and immediately, the despair left me. My doctor asked me to return for another ultrasound on day 20 of my cycle (normally, eggs mature on day 14 for fertilization). It wasn’t clear why she had scheduled this… While waiting in the clinic hallway, I prayed to Saint Panteleimon and realized—the Lord will take care of everything. I didn’t know how or what would happen—maybe we would adopt a child—but I was sure that everything would be okay.And then—a real miracle! Without any hormones or medications, on the 20th day of my cycle (which is unheard of in medicine), a healthy egg matured in my other ovary. We could try to conceive! And what was the date? December 3rd—the Forefeast of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple! The Most Holy Theotokos was protecting us once again! And on December 19th, the Feast of Saint Nicholas, I found out that I was pregnant! What a miracle, what a blessing! I ran straight to church to thank God! Throughout my pregnancy, my doctor watched me carefully, and I felt like I was floating on air. I prayed, confessed, and received Communion, as my spiritual father had blessed. Our long-awaited daughter was due to be born either on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord or the Dormition of the Theotokos. But she waited…She was born on September 4th. At first, I wondered, “Why not on a feast day?” But then I understood—her 40th day fell on the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos! I had promised God that if He gave us a daughter, we would name her Vera (Faith), in honor of our Orthodox faith. And today, our miracle baby Vera is 8 months old! The Lord has given us a living, healthy, intelligent child—she spoke her first word on day three of life, crying out "Mama!" God sent us a child only when we were ready. He could have done it at any time, but I wasn’t prepared. Never lose hope. Trust in God. He knows better than we do what is best for us and when. Glory to God for everything! A deep bow to our fellow prayer warriors from Bolgar and to our brothers and sisters in sunny Uzbekistan! We are with you!