To Russia - with faith and love: how a family with 8 children from the USA moved to Sergiyev Posad

The couple and their nine children converted to Orthodoxy in 2016 and began attending the Russian Orthodox Church. Soon the family decided to leave for Russia, the choice was stopped at the Sergiev Posad near Moscow, where, as you know, the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra is located.

The reasons for the move, according to Anna and John, were the policy of the American authorities aimed at destroying the traditional family, the activities of the aggressive Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, which often terrorizes the white population under the guise of combating racism, as well as active LGBT propaganda.

“We felt insecure. In America, people do not trust each other... There were many different reasons ... I do not like to talk about it, because these terrible things... There (in the USA) there is a great rampant pedophilia, there is a lot of LGBT propaganda among children. For example, 75% of high school students in the city where we lived (Rochester - approx. "NI") consider themselves to be someone else, well, apart from ordinary, traditional... people, "the mother of the family told RT reporters.

In May 2019, John and his eldest sons came to Russia "for exploration" - they were choosing a place.

The choice was between Moscow, Sochi and the cities near Moscow - Pushkin and Sergiev Posad. According to Anna, "Sergiev Posad won." “In America, in Rochester, New York, we lived about the same distance from big cities. There is a lot of smog in big cities, but here we really liked it - green and fresh air. In addition, the Lavra is located here, ”said Anna Platt. To save money for visas and travel tickets, the family had to save. John's parents also provided financial assistance.

In October 2019, a large family - Anna, John and eight children - moved to Russia. The eldest son, Rafael, remained in the United States, but now he is also thinking about moving to Russia with his family.

“We couldn't sell our house for a long time. It was in a dilapidated state, and no one needs such. In addition, it was difficult to sell because of the well-known American problem - everything is bought there on credit. But we were lucky. Literally on the day of departure, a buyer was found, and we immediately struck a deal”, - recalled John Platt.

By the way, the story that happened to Raphael also served as an impetus for moving to Russia.

“Once Rafael was surrounded by black men: “Did you vote for Trump? Now you’ll get lit up!”. And he is only 15 years old. He told them: "I did not vote." I asked if it helped him in any way? He replied that they thought I had just gotten out of jail and, therefore, cool. That's how he joked, ”Anna recalled.

The spouses said that moving to another country for such a large family was, of course, not easy. The Plattas took 18 suitcases with them. The paperwork and baggage check-in took so long that they even delayed the plane's departure by half an hour.

They came to Russia with knowledge of five Russian words. “John and I still know only five words, but our children have already learned five thousand words at school,” the couple noted with a smile. “Kind people helped us a lot with the choice of a house and the first adaptation in Russia. In general, everyone in Russia is very friendly and helped with some simple things and with orientation, ”one of the Platt's eldest sons, Miron, told RT. In Sergiev Posad Platty is now renting a small two-story house. On the ground floor there is a large kitchen with a huge table in the center, at which all family members can sit at once. To the right of the table, the whole corner is covered with icons, there is a red icon lamp. Children's rooms are located on the second floor. Now, by the way, Anna is expecting the birth of her tenth child.

John says that while he works alone in the family, they have enough money both to rent a house and to teach children in a private school. John Platt is a programmer, he works remotely for an American company, creates websites for stores with essential goods. “That is why I speak Russian badly so far, because all my communication is still in English. But the children speak Russian better, because they speak Russian at school”, -said the head of the family. The grass in the yard at the Platt's is almost knee-deep, and they love it.

“In America, they make sure that the grass is not taller than this size (points with fingers about 15 cm). And here there are no fines and no need to mow. And we are glad that here we can walk barefoot on the tall grass and do not have to constantly monitor its length, ”explained John, watching the younger children swing on the swing. At this time, Anna appeared on the porch and invited the family to the table. Before the meal, the Plattes traditionally stood up and recited the prayer "Our Father". In Russian. The meal ends with the same prayer, but in English.

The family is still adapting to the new place of residence, in many respects the Plattas are helped by the people around them, to whom they are very grateful.

“There was a very funny incident last summer, I think July. One of our little daughters wanted to put on winter boots in the heat, I did not dissuade her. As a result, all the people on the street came up to us with the words: “What are you poor, you need shoes, you need shoes! And one woman even said: "Come to me, I will give you the shoes you need!" I could not refuse, I really had to go and take it. The people here are so wonderful!”, - said Anna Platt.

Of course, regular visits to the temple and communication with local parishioners also help in adaptation. In the mornings, a friendly family goes to the service at the Church of the Apparition of the Most Holy Theotokos to Sergius and Micah of Radonezh, which, to the delight of the Platts, is located not far from their home.

In addition, the Platt family is actively studying Russian culture, traditions and crafts.

Soon Platt should receive a residence permit.