Dear Friends in Christ,

In our twenty-plus years living in the largest uninhabited place in Europe, we have experienced many blessings and many trials. The isolation from the World offers us a great opportunity to grow spiritually; the farther we are from the world, the closer we feel to God. On the other hand, of course, we do have material needs which cannot be met without going to civilization. The cross of the sisters who have brought everything needed for the monastery to function all of these years is probably the hardest. Until only recently, it was a three-hour drive to the nearest town; now cut down to two thanks to newly-paved roads, it is still a real ascetical labor to make that drive as often as is needed for the monastery's needs. As much as we strive to cut our obligations and needs to a minimum, there is always something.

Perhaps the most trials we have are with our vehicles, which more often than not are heavily loaded as they take a beating on the bad roads. We have only been able to afford 4x4 vehicles costing up to 5,000e, which means that they are usually already so old and in disrepair that they spend more time at the mechanic's than running. The sisters who drive are under constant stress that the jeep could break down in the middle of nowhere with no phone signal. It has happened many times, and our adventures in such situations, in all weather conditions, are too numerous to describe here.

The last straw was when our main car, a 2002 Land Rover, caught on fire (for reasons unknown, we suspect wiring) and was destroyed, along with most of its cargo. Serbian state-provided insurance does not cover these damages, so this was a severe financial blow to the monastery, which was already barely getting back on its feet after winter's isolation.

Selling our natural medicinal products, which we make from our own wild-grown herbs around the mountain, has become our main source of income, but without a reliable vehicle, we are unable to earn our keep. Even if we were to replace the Land Rover with a similar vehicle, it would just perpetuate the endless cycle of repairs that drain the monastery's modest income.

This is why we humbly ask our friends and well-wishers to help us buy a reliable off-roader for the monastery. We would like to buy a new vehicle in order to break the cycle of endless repairs and problems. This last disaster was a lesson in just how dangerous it can be to drive an old vehicle which has a host of known and unknown issues.

Here in Serbia, the single, affordable, newer off-road vehicle that is well suited to our needs would be a Suziki Jimny, which, used (but nearly new, say 2024 or 2025) range around 40,000 euros plus registration. This is a very reasonable price, because most new off-road vehicles cost at least 70k and easily go up to 200k. The Suzuki Jimnys are highly sought after for that very reason - they are the only affordable Jeeps of that caliber. They are also affordable to maintain, fuel-efficient, and do not have an expensive registration. It would be a long-term economical solution if only we could raise the money for the initial purchase. You can see an example of the jeeps we have been looking at here: https://www.polovniautomobili.com/auto-oglasi/28565208/suzuki-jimny. As these are selling quickly, we can't know if we will be able to get this one by the time we raise the money (if God blesses), but this is one of a few similar offers that we have seen.

In these difficult times, 40k seems like a lot to ask, but we have faith that if God blesses, enough people will be able to contribute to provide for this vital need for the monastery.

This campaign could easily be entitled "Help Keep Mikul Monastery Afloat," because after so many trials, we are concerned about the survival of the monastery itself if we are not able to resolve our mobility problem.

Your contribution will help with the survival of an institution that offers a very rare and precious way of life, a treasure not just for us unworthy nuns, but for all those faithful who partake of the grace of a wilderness monastery through our union in prayer.

We would be glad to provide a tax receipt for all larger donations if we are able to be in touch with our donors over email.

Many thanks for all of your love and support. May the Lord reward you all a hundredfold!

In Christ,

The Mikul Monastery Sisterhood

Shared on behalf of the Sisterhood by George Allen, Subdeacon, brother of Mati Ekaterina (Sara Elizabeth Allen). All funds donated through GiveSendGo will go to the Mission of St Ieronymos in Hillsdale, MI, which will then forward to the Sisterhood.