Three years ago I moved to Goldendale from Wenatchee. Many things changed for me then, and one of them was that I was now minutes away from a large women’s monastery. Many of the Orthodox families in the area attend monastery services to be with family, soak up the grace, or simply because they live closer to it than to a regular parish. Although I attend the mission in town, I still visit the monastery often to assist the sisters with their work, and it has been highly beneficial. My and my parents’ plan was to make visiting the monastery part of my education. And I have been learning a lot–it almost feels like a type of home economics course. I’ve discovered how to chop the perfect size of lettuce and how to fold fitted sheets (yes, it’s possible). However, my education and learning is not the only thing that’s flourishing–let’s not forget that this is a monastery!
