“A gift from God”: What a Latvian refugee family prayed for in a Minsk convent

Screengrab/BelTA

MINSK, 14 December (BelTA) – In The Honest Story project on BelTA’s YouTube channel, refugee from Latvia Roman Samul spoke about the greatest gift he got in Belarus.

After receiving refugee status, Roman and his wife Olga bought a house in the countryside and are now settling into their new life. Roman recalled their visit to a convent in Minsk. “While my wife was looking around, I approached an icon. At that moment, I wished for stability, lasting happiness with my wife, and to have at least one child. You may not believe it, but exactly one month later, my wife told me she was pregnant,” he said.

Olga, in turn, remarked: “It was a gift from God. In Belarus, not only is the soil fertile, but apparently the air is too.”

The couple explained that they were unable to secure Latvian citizenship for their daughter. As Belarus does not automatically grant citizenship to children born to two foreign parents, the little girl currently also holds refugee status. “We plan to apply for her citizenship this year through an accelerated procedure, since she was born here after all. Then Olga can apply as her mother, and consequently, so can I. We aim to become citizens of this wonderful, great country,” Roman Samul concluded.