Lent is beginning — a time of special good deeds. And we finally, with the help of the Christian Book Foundation, opened a collection for the roof of the temple in honor of the Prophet Elijah. The temple is very remarkable — it is located in the mountain village of Magulo near the Matutum volcano.
The first Orthodox missionaries visited Magulo in 2015. The local leader gathered the local “bla-an” to hear about the Orthodox faith. They expressed a desire to be baptized, but due to insufficient training and serious remoteness (several hours by car on a dirt mountain road, and then several hours on foot up the mountain), the baptism was postponed.
The next time the missionaries were able to return only a few years later and were surprised to find that all these years the tribe remained faithful to Orthodoxy, refusing offers to be baptized by Baptists, 7th-day Adventists and other neo-Protestant groups.
In 2018, more than 50 residents of the Bla-an tribe were baptized with their leader, who received the baptismal name John. He donated land in the center of the village, where a bamboo hut was built as a temporary temple.
Over the years, the hut has become very dilapidated, and Magulo needs a more solid temple building.
The foundation has already been poured and light metal columns have been installed.
