Orthodox Adventure

Emma. 29. Scottish (& living in Scotland). Orthodox Christian, convert from Roman Catholicism. Feel free to message me your prayer requests. Saint Xenia of St Petersburg, pray to God for us!

[orthodoxadventure]

Welcome to my blog!

You can call me either Emma or Xenia. Emma is the name that I was given at birth by my mother. Xenia is the name that I was given when I was received into the Orthodox Church, taking Saint Xenia of Saint Petersburg as my Patron Saint. You can read a short article about her life here or watch a short video about her life here. When I receive Holy Communion and when Clergy or some people from Church greet me, they refer to me as Xenia. My family and some of my other friends (including Church ones) call me Emma. So either of these names is fine! I am 29 years old, and I'm from Scotland (currently living in Edinburgh).

I was received into the Orthodox Church on the 27th of September 2025. You can see photos from my Chrismation here. Prior to this, I was a convert to Catholicism, having grown up in an atheist family. You are welcome to ask (respectful!) questions about my faith journey and about Orthodox Christianity. But just be aware that I'm just a simple layperson, I am not clergy nor am I an educator. If a question is beyond my capabilities to answer, I'm happy to redirect you to resources that can help you get the answer you're looking for. I am happy to talk about my faith journey, but I don't intend for this blog to be arguing against Catholicism (or any other denomination or religion).

Prior to this blog, I ran @traumacatholic. Although I typically talk about disability and trauma on this blog less, I am still happy to answer questions or help you find resources when it comes to navigating disabilities, trauma, and the faith. I am not a therapist though, nor am I a substitute for one. I'm just someone with the lived experience of dealing with chronic pain, OCD, and Autism who has also had some very traumatic experiences in my life and the impact that these things have on my day to day life and also my relationship with God. I don't claim to know all the answers, I don't have a perfect response to managing these things, but I do hope that this blog can in some small way help others who've been through similar situations feel less alone.

You are always welcome to send prayer requests to this blog. You do not have to be an Orthodox Christian to ask for prayers. You can belong to another denomination, another faith, or even be someone that's agnostic. You can give as much or as little detail as you like. You can include a name, a nickname, a made up name or an initial to pray for or just simply ask for prayers. No problem is too big or small to pray for, and you're welcome to send prayer requests as often as you'd like.

My blog runs on a queue system, where posts typically go out once every 30 minutes. Sometimes I also schedule posts on top of my typical queue. So please just be aware that just because my blog is posting doesn't mean I'm actually online. Please just be patient and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

[corvusherpestidae]

Please pray for a sick baby

[ecceagnesdarling]

This dream was for a story about child suicide that would be dedicated to my little neighbor who killed himself. I'll keep the idea in the notebook as I do with all others, but idk if I want or have the ability to write about child suicide. If you can, please pray for his soul.

[fillyreports]

Y’all please pray for me, the last couple days I keep waking up with a shot of anxiety and a really bad wave of nausea (this is why I stayed home on Friday, even tho I regretted it) and I’m going to work tomorrow 💀

[sunshinemind]

Please pray for my friend Brandie she needs freedom 🙏🏼 Please pray it comes quickly for her.

[sacredheart-stigmata]

asking for lots of prayers for healing and strength for a dear childhood friend, she will start treatment for her ovarian cancer on the feast of the acsension later this week. she will likely have to have her ovaries removed; she and her husband had thought she was pregnant when the masses were found and that has made the cancer diagnosis so much harder on them

[chlebconsumer]

My father’s open heart surgery got rescheduled to his birthday, which naturally we have mixed feelings about. Prayers would be appreciated for it all to go well and for work the next day to not be too rough for me.

[swtlamb]

⊹₊˚‧₊୨ things i'm praying for: ୧₊‧˚₊⊹

— passing my final year of university

— a loving partner

— my own home

— energy, faith, and motivation

— a cure for my physical health conditions

[doloresdelalucha]

june 7th, 2026. this is a big day for me. my husband becomes a reader, my spiritual father leaves, and we receive a new one. the archbishop visits our little home. we will receive our final blessing to move across the country to seminary... please pray for me, my Christian name is Cristiana. after Saint Christina of Tyre.

[milksugarjams]

So you know that post that was making the rounds the other day for Micarah Tewers? Thankfully she's OK and out of the hospital now, but she had a harrowing experience with medical negligence, on top of a life-threatening problem that required emergency surgery. Please pray for her swift recovery and that this hospital fixes itself bc holy heck.

[demigodofhoolemere]

Would appreciate prayers. This is much more minor than other requests I’ve made but I feel horrendously sick, which already stinks at the best of times but I’m on a trip right now and can’t just go home and curl up and rest properly. I feel like such crap and I just want to cry and make this trip be over. Sunburn isn’t helping, the heat makes it feel like a fever (if it isn’t anyway). I’m so done. 😭

[become-mop]

Would you please pray for a friend of mine, to find the answers and support they need for their medical situation? Thank you.

[orthodoxadventure]

Rolling Hills Wind, LLC (a subsidiary of Terra-Gen, LLC)  is planning to develop the Rolling Hills Wind Project – a 250-megawatt project covering a 130 square mile area in the hills surrounding the Monastery. Leases have already been signed covering 17,169 acres in Jordanville and neighboring towns. All turbines would be within a 10-mile radius – half within 5.5 miles – of the Monastery.  Turbines generate both noise from mechanical components and aerodynamic noise from wind interacting with the blades, often louder in gusty or turbulent conditions—like the extremely windy conditions of Jordanville’s surroundings, as well as swishing or thumping, often worse at night and sometimes experienced as vibration or a pressure wave. At a distance of 2 miles, especially in a quiet setting, the noise will be clearly heard inside buildings.  If allowed, this project would very likely mean hearing the noise of a dozen wind turbines every moment that you spend there.  If you live there as a monk or seminarian, it would mean hearing it every moment of every day.  How can anyone find peace and worship silently in these conditions? People living in proximity to wind turbines report numerous negative health effects: Noise, vibrations, and light contamination associated with the turbines cause sleep disturbances, nausea, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and cardiovascular symptoms (e.g. heartrate changes).

If you are able, please consider signing and sharing this petition. There is a lot more information on the petition page as to why the Monastery is against this. These wind turbines would not be creating jobs in the area nor would they be benefitting the local community.

Sign the Petition

Wind turbines endanger historic monastery hub of Orthodox Christian community

[oillampslit]

Please pray for a man who's grandmother passed away and for a woman who has been getting bad headaches. Thank you.

[milksugarjams]

So you know that post that was making the rounds the other day for Micarah Tewers? Thankfully she's OK and out of the hospital now, but she had a harrowing experience with medical negligence, on top of a life-threatening problem that required emergency surgery. Please pray for her swift recovery and that this hospital fixes itself bc holy heck.

[aevarswall]

if you would, please pray that God directs me to a job soon

[alexadelphia-official]

BTW tomorrow afternoon I have an exam, please pray that I can rest well tonight and revise what I need to revise tomorrow morning and that I do well in the following days and weeks which will be full of exams and deadlines and it'll be very difficult for me these days