Dear readers! After opening this book, you will walk along with Abbot Savvatiy the rocky paths of Athos, visit the terrible Karuli, learn how the Athonite monks struggle, what kind of insurance they endure, how they pray. You will find out why Vitalka suddenly asked for dumplings in the monastery, how Father Valerian helped kidnap an old woman, what it’s like to bear someone else’s obedience, and why the stern Petenka the big man suddenly became touched. You will find out how Elder John (Krestyankin), known throughout Russia, cared for his children and why the abbess of the monastery, Mother Ksenia, sang an ode to grandmothers. This book was written with prayer, it is the fruit of the prayerful labor of many people. The famous Optina Elder Schema-Archimandrite Eli (Nozdrin) prayed when he blessed the author of this book to write in 2009. His confessor, Optina Abbot Anthony (Gavrilov), prayed for the author. The author’s first spiritual mentor, Abbot Savvaty (Rudakov), prayed. Many of the stories in this book are told by him. About Slavuchekh, about the nun Pavla and, of course, “Stories from Athos.” Many people write about Athos, but often superficially, as about a tourist attraction. Spiritual people are more often silent, not having the time or opportunity to write about their spiritual experience. And Father Savvaty, burdened with numerous responsibilities as a clergyman, confessor, and builder of a monastery, would also most likely never have written about Athos himself. But by the grace of God, his stories were written down, and we can touch the spiritual experience of one of the first children of Elder John (Krestyankin ), for almost thirty years in the rank of priest standing before the throne of God. The abbess of the Kazan monastery Trifonova women's hermitage, nun Ksenia (Oshchepkova), who has been asceticizing in the monastic rank in the Ural monastery for about twenty years, prayerfully told her stories. The heroes of the stories of Father Valerian have their own real prototypes, the monks and nuns of the monastery also prayed, talking about the events that formed the basis of the stories. And the author also prayed with his weak and feeble prayer, so that the stories in the book would serve for mental and spiritual benefit, help in a difficult life situation, bring him to church, and drive away despondency. And the author of the book considers the words of his readers to be his highest praise: “Your books soften the heart. After reading the stories, you want to pray, you want to pick up the Gospel.” God help you! God bless you! Olga Rozhneva Approved for distribution by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.