I was blessed to meet Hosios Paisios quite early on, as soon as he settled in the Panaguda cell of the Holy Skete of Saint Panteleimon. The Elder, through his ascetic struggles, had earned from God the gift of resting people. When we discovered him, he became for us a spiritual support and consolation. With our spiritual companionship, we enjoyed walking the blessed paths in the orchard of the Virgin Mary. We would pass by his cell many times to see him and receive his simple but full of the Holy Spirit advice. In 1981, I visited the mission in Kenya and war-torn Uganda. What I saw, heard and experienced there filled me with both enthusiasm and anxiety for the spread of Orthodoxy to the nations. With my tablet full of memories and photos from my missionary tours, I visited Hosios Paisios and shared these life experiences with him. As soon as we met, the old man said to me:
“What is happening now is like having a watering can and trying to water a field with it. But the time will come when God will rain on his field and it will be watered.”
This proactive testimony of the Saint comforted me spiritually, because I realized that our Orthodox faith will be known to all nations. Already today, in the year 2015, we have new missions in areas where the Orthodox word had never before been heard. In India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Fiji, in the Mayan, Pygmy and Turkana tribes, peoples are hearing about Christ, believing in Him and becoming heirs of the Kingdom of God. You too can help the spiritual rain come faster. Pray to the Holy God to kindle the thirst for Truth in the nations and bring forth new workers in the mission field. Support the missionary efforts being made in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. For the whole world to come to fruition. For hearts to blossom. Nostis Psarras
Vice President of the Orthodox Foreign Missionary Brotherhood.
