This weekend we "opened the Triodion," the birds are chirping, and the snow is melting, even here in the land of never-ending winter.
And with this breath of fresh air, we also have a breath of hope here at the convent, as we received the final price quotes last week and at long last have decided, after seven months of planning and waiting, how we are going to proceed.
At first, truth be told, things did not look so promising. Our contractor explained that reducing our building plan from 83 to 69 square meters would only result in a marginal reduction in costs. Did that mean we would not be able to afford even five cells? Would seven months of planning come to nothing?
On the other hand, as we learned to our relief a few days later, the price quote for digging the foundation was quite a bit less expensive than anticipated. So, after sitting down and doing some serious calculations, we came to the conclusion that, if we use up almost all of our resources, we would in fact be able to build an extension according to our original plan of 84 square meters, and still be in need of "only" approximately 8,000 euros. It's now or never! Through the prayers of our spiritual Father and the intercessions of St. Philothei, the miracle can happen....
We have thus begun filling out the papers for our building permit. It does require some faith to be left with just enough money to pay the bills for a few months, so please support us by your prayers (or even by a donation, if you have the means) in this new endeavor!
See below the plan for 83 square meters:
