From Nitai Priya dasi – Russia, Barnaul

Dear Srila Gurudeva,
Please, accept my humble obeisances to your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to you!
Please, accept my congratulations on this auspicious day of your Vyasa Puja. On this day we have an opportunity to express our appreciation and gratitude to you.
am really lucky to meet you on my spiritual way. This meeting made me become determined in accepting Krishna Consciousness seriously. Later you kindly gave me a shelter, initiating me. Since the first meeting almost twenty years have passed. I visited a lot of your Vyasa Pujas, Vrindavan parikramas, listened to a great number of your lectures, watched a lot of videos how you preach all over the universe and I am still eager to do all these things again and again. Thank you for all these opportunities to associate with you, for your sharing your faith, knowledge, spiritual realizations and emotions, a mood of service to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna. I always remember your words that “what a diksha guru says makes a stronger effect on devotees”. I fully agree. I feel it.
What can I offer you on this day as your disciple? I think it will be right to offer you my service during all these twenty years because I sent you only two of my offerings during the years though I write them every year.
By your and Srila Prabhupada’s mercy I was able to serve as a leader of Nama- hatta and sector leader of several Nama-hattas for fifteen years. I am really grateful to Krishna and devotees for giving me this service. Doing it, I always had to be in a mood of surrender and remember you, and pray to you for mercy to be just an instrument to be able to preach. It helped me to be in a form — to read books, think over them, improve chanting, be always ready to serve devotees. When it was difficult I often thought you would be glad (I imagined your smile) that I made this service preaching people, awakening their desire to serve Krishna. This thought inspired and inspires me a lot. Also, the thought that I help you in your mission in such way. Nowadays I sometimes lead Nama-hattas. Mostly I give Srimad Bhagavatam classes, Sunday lectures. But I dream to start a new Nama-hatta someday. Some years ago you wrote me, that my service to you would make me feel closer to you despite any distances. Now I understand (not completely, still I need practice) it is so.
On this day, I ask you, for your mercy to be able to focus my mind on devotional service, chanting the Holy Names, be helpful to Vaisnavas, to serve them in a right mood and be always eager to preach Krishna Consciousness out of compassion Srila Gurudeva , I wish you to realize many new interesting preaching projects, have good disciples. Please, take care of yourself.
Your servant, Nitai Priya dasi