Our friends Joseph and Xenia need our help:
From: http://news-nftu.blogspot.com/2009_02_15_archive.html
Dear Readers in Christ:
As you probably noticed, NFTU has not been putting up stories for about a month now. We had taken some time off in January and now we've been delayed for about three weeks. News has been happening: ROAC has had temples seized by the Russian government among other news; why hasn't NFTU been on top of it...?
I owe it to you now to tell you why, because my family has found itself in an unprecedented situation and am doing something I have never done before in the five years NFTU has been up. I am issuing an appeal to our readers for help.
I have a day job, as most readers of this site are aware. It's basically a position with a decent base salary, and some small commissions. It's enough to keep us above water. We have a small apartment with four children. However, during the second quarter of last year I worked solely on commissions. I fell behind on our rent for two and a half months. In late July, I got a new position with the same company, paying the bills, back bills, and covering the rent, explaining that we would have to pay off the outstanding balance in parts. We were just surviving, but we were surviving and basically didn't have any problem with our landlord.
On December 23, that changed for the worse-- the landlord decided to sue to collect on the full balance. Since then, we have been in court every few weeks. The landlord was found to have a number of violations that needed to be repaired. We were confident we would be able to pay the balance easily with the refund we would get on our taxes (for $8824) and filed so that we would be able to pay by the 20th of this month-- the day the court stipulation expires for rental arrears of $3,873. We can appeal the stipulation on the 20th, but that will buy us five more days.
Unfortunately, we discovered yesterday that our refund was gone-- in full. An offset was placed on it; and now we have to file more paperwork in the hope that we can get back at least part of our refund within eight weeks-- eight weeks we don't have. There are limited options for a two-parent family where one party is employed. We are applying to as many of these as we can, but we aren't exactly confident that they will be able to help on time before we get removed from the premises.
There is no way I can see that I can come up with almost $4,000 in 12 days.
So I am appealing to my readers for help. NFTU has thousands of readers each month and those following over the past year know how committed we are to being a balance in the Orthodox media and, at times, a lone voice covering events in the True Orthodox Churches in America and other places, as well as ecumenistic developments in Orthodoxy and other religions. People have appealed to us in the past to broadcast emergency needs for help and we have obliged however we could either by the website or mass-mailings. So I am asking all of you for help. We can't operate without a place to live, and if NFTU isn't worth it, we are appealing about the most important thing-- to help an Orthodox family in a time of need unprecedented in our lives.
Our Archdiocesan center has been kind enough, even after this rough winter and its associated heating and maintenance costs, to help us with a little over 25% of the balance. We are still in trouble-- serious trouble. We ask that if you can send anything to help that you could forward it to our Archdiocese with a note explaining it's "to help NFTU" or "the Suaiden family" so it can get to us as quickly as possible. As we do not have a bank account, we have no access to PayPal at the moment. If you can't help with money then help us with the most important thing-- your intercession on our behalf to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Theotokos, and the saints. You have our word that all those who ask Our Lord's assistance for us will have the assurance of our prayers for them.
Sadly,
Rdr Joseph Suaiden
For those who wish to help, please help by sending assistance to:
Holy Name Abbey
(Memo: NFTU or Suaiden family)
100 Abbey Lane
W. Milford, NJ 07480 – 3909
Tel: (973) 838 – 8795