My name is Nick Pasco and I'm from Sacramento, and I was raised up in the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. I graduated from UC Davis in 2015 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology, but ended up working in the IT Industry. I moved up to Rocklin for a new job in November 2018, and wandered into St. Anna’s shortly before Christmas, and I felt immediately like I was in the right place. I had always been drawn to the beauty of our church, but it wasn’t until I took Margaret’s class after beginning attending services at our parish that I began to appreciate the depth of the Orthodox faith. When I sit down and honestly weigh out the motives in my own heart, I’ve found that my highest desire has been to try and grow in love and devotion to our God, and to find ways to serve Him and the people he puts in my life. He has given me ample opportunity to do so, inside and outside of our parish.
Being of service to others is very important to me, and I’ve been taught to say ‘yes’ when people ask things of me. I met His Grace Bishop Neofitos during his visit to our parish during Great Lent this year, and was one of many invited to visit the Diocese of Nyeri and Mt. Kenya through mission work. I will be joining a team led by Father James Retelas of Annunciation, Sacramento, in December for a youth conference that will be gathering hundreds of youth and young adults from throughout the parishes of the Kenyan diocese for a time of spiritual renewal and growth. We will be giving presentations and instruction on the Orthodox faith, as well as various other topics relevant to young people: dating and relationships, drug and alcohol addiction, teen pregnancy, and other topics. Above all, our primary purpose is to share the love of Christ with our fellows.
I have never left the United States before, so this is a very new experience for me, and I ask that my friends at Saint Anna’s pray for me as I navigate the complexities of international travel for the first time. The team and I also ask for your prayers for safe travels, and that we are guided by the Spirit of our God in a manner that allows us to reach these young people in an impactful and meaningful way. I would also ask that anyone that would like to provide financial support for the mission trip to make a donation through the Orthodox Christian Mission Center’s website through the following link, as each mission member is trying to raise around $2000 each to cover the costs associated with the trip:
https://www.ocmc.org/about/view_team.aspx?TeamId=2239
I am very far from being a perfect person, but I’ve found that taking time from my own life and using it to serve other people has deepened my faith in God and worked to transform me to be more like the person that He wants me to be. Its been bit by bit over the years, and I’m hoping that I have the opportunity on this trip to see the Grace of God at work in the lives of the people that I meet. I want to come back as more humble in spirit, and with an appreciation for how universal our faith is, and I want to continue in a spirit of service to the people around me when I come back.
To put it in fewer words, I feel like this something that He wants me to do, and through doing what He wants me to do, I feel closer to Him in my heart and my spirit. I want to be closer to God because I love God.
Thank you for your prayers and your support,
Nick Pasco