Saint Nektarij invited her in her sleep

Nina D. had Starets Anatolij as her confessor. Quite some time after his demise, she moved to the Briansk region, where the last great starets of Optina was already living in exile. It happened that an acquaintance of hers saw in her sleep a monastic elder who, with tears in his eyes told her: ‘Come and see me’.

From the woman’s description, Nina recognized the elder and offered to accompany her on her visit. On the day they left, the elder didn’t eat: ‘I’m going to have visitors today and we have to feed them’, he said.

Saint Nektarij (1853-1928)

When they arrived, a nun went to announce them, without having first learned their names. Yet she returned from the starets and said: ‘Is your name Nina? The Elder told me “Nina D.’s arrived. I’ve been expecting her for some time’”. When the two women entered the room, he turned to Nina and said: ‘Starets Anatolij entrusted you to me. I’ve been waiting and praying for three years and now you’ve consented to visit me!’.

In the meantime, as soon as Nina’s acquaintance saw him she started to shout: ‘It’s you, batiushka. You came in my sleep and invited me. Well, here I am’.

But the Elder wanted to suppress the miraculous event and hurried away to shut himself in his room.