“Without the blessing of the elder don’t take a step. Don’t go anywhere without a blessing so that God will be with you. When you receive a blessing don’t fear anything. Bow to the elder, kiss his hand, and go to the moon, become an astronaut – because you’re covered by the blessing; obedience covers you. For 40 years fathers I saw a shelter above me while a month in obedience, and now that I become an elder, I no longer see it. Wherever I went I went with my soul and thoughts at peace because I was in obedience.”
Elder Ephraim of Katounakia
~Obedience Is Life