Lessons learned are like bridges burned, you only need to cross them but once.

                                                          (Under the St. Tikhon's Arch)

Here we are folks, just the two of us, and our Boston Terrier, 700 miles from home in the mountains of North-Eastern Pennsylvania!

We've been here at St. Tikhon's Seminary for just over a month now, and it's amazing how "at home" we feel already! We are constantly learning how to be better followers of Christ, and how to "roll" with whatever God throws our way. In this short amount of time, we've learned some lessons that are turning out to be some of the most valuable we have learned since we have been married.

We anticipated waiting another two years to go to Seminary, but God had other plans (as He often does). After a series of misfortunes, and struggles, God opened up a door for us to come now. This blessing came in the form of a phone conversation with His Grace, Bishop Michael, Rector of St. Tikhon's Seminary. His Grace showed us the true meaning of Godly generosity, and prayerful obedience to God. We were unsure about leaving our jobs, family, and home Parish, but we were encouraged to trust in God; our first lesson.

Even though we were worried, nervous, anxious, excited, etc... we had the support of our family and parish, and decided to make the leap of faith. After an 11 hour drive, we arrived at 2:00 in the morning to a beautiful apartment, and quietly tried to fill our air mattresses so we wouldn't wake the neighbors above us! By the end of the night Matthew's poor parents, who were kind enough to help us move, ended up sleeping on the floor because their air mattress snagged a microscopic hole!

After all that, we awoke to some of the most beautiful surroundings either of us had ever seen! If you've never seen the sunrise over misty Pennsylvania Mountains, then you're missing out! We immediately felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude to God, and realized that when He calls, He always provides; our second lesson.

That evening, we were invited to dinner with our wonderful neighbors, who we have enjoyed getting to know this past month. We also were able to host host the Annual Labor Day cookout with them the day before classes started. Before the semester even began, we found ourselves surrounded by welcoming new friends, and an AMAZING Christian family! Our greatest lesson so far, is one that is so obvious, and yet so easily missed. God is always with us. Through blessings, compassion, struggles, love, friendships, family, Holy Communion, and other countless ways, He is here.


On this first post, we'd like to include the context for the title of this blog. It's found in the prayers of preparation for the Divine Liturgy, and is addressed to the Most Blessed Mother of God.

"O blessed Theotokos, open the doors of compassion to us whose hope is in thee, that we may not perish but be delivered from adversity through thee who art the salvation of the Christian people." 

Holy Mary, pray to your Son and our God, Jesus Christ, so that He may save us!


On one final note, out of curiosity: What has God been teaching you lately?

With love,
Matthew & Ashley Joyner