Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

I warmly greet you all with the glorious feast of Pentecost.

This afternoon five 19-year-old college students (three boys and two girls) from Kazakhstan showed up at the rectory today seeking help. The are all participants in a program called Interexchange. Kids who sign up for this program come to the States from different countries of the world to work during the Summer months at swimming pools, beaches, hotels, etc. All of them were screened by our embassy in Kazakhstan and given work permits and a green light and to come to the U.S. for the Summer. The jobs they were promised never panned out. One of the reasons was some of them failed to pass the lifeguard test. They have no place to live. They have enough money put aside to pay for one month's apt. rent (1800.00) and a return ticket to their country in Sept. They are willing to work at any job and have already applied for employment with McDonald's. They impressed me as being sincere. I gave them permission to stay at the rectory for a few days, but that does not solve their problem. They need a place to live and are willing to pay for it, but can't get an apt. without someone acting as a guarantor. Matushka is overwhelmed taking care of a number of people who have come on hard times and I am leaving for an Orthodox conf. in Erie, PA and next Sunday for Moscow. Thus, I am turning to you, our dear parishioners, for help and advice. How can we help these young people?

In XC,
Fr. Victor


Victor Potapov

http://www.stjohndc.org