After this, the hermit blessed him and miraculously gave him part of the grace-filled gifts given to him by God.

All these circumstances soon became known in the surrounding villages inhabited by Orthodox Greeks.

After some time, Father Vasily was invited to the village of Tashlyk, a place where almost all the Christians of Tsat had already moved by that time. Tashlik was located near the Ali River, sixty kilometers northeast of Caesarea. In 1924, it was inhabited by 154 families, consisting of 775 people, mostly Greek Christians.

In Tashlyk, Father Vasily performed services in the church in the morning and evening, and during the day he received and healed the sick at home, readily visiting the suffering.

He never took money from people, but was unmercenary. He had compassion for those who suffered and often, pitying the unfortunate, wept. Father Vasily himself suffered greatly from a wound on his leg. Because of it, he limped a little, for which some people nicknamed him Topal-Keis (which means "lame priest" in Turkish).

One summer, it rained constantly in Tashlyk, but at the same time, the inhabitants of neighboring villages suffered from a terrible drought. They turned to the priest with a plea for help. Father Vasily readily followed them. Turning to the people waiting for him, he asked them to climb a small hill after him, so that they could all pray together for the sending of saving rain. The priest asked everyone to kneel, and he began to pray. Soon clouds began to appear in the sky, and then the first drops of rain began to knock, which fell continuously for several hours in a row. Thus, through the prayers of the righteous man, people, animals, fields and trees were saved from drought.

Once Father Vasily was sitting on the veranda of his two-story house and talking to the elderly. Suddenly he said, "Look in the direction of Aas Punar. Do you see a Turk riding a donkey? He's poor, tortured, and sick, coming here for me to pray for him. In his bosom he carries forty leptas[9] to give to me as a reward for the prayer I will read over him." The astonished old people looked at each other and said: "Father Vasily, if this is really the case and you know about all this, then you are a Saint!"

Everyone was waiting impatiently and curiously for the arrival of the Turk. The latter, when he arrived, greeted them with a prostration.

Father Vasily responded to his greeting and inquired about the purpose of his visit. The Turk answered: "Ah, Vladyka, I have come from afar, I suffer greatly. I can't sleep day or night. I have come for you to read a prayer from your Holy Book over me, in case I will be healed."

Отец Василий помолился, и в тот же миг боли турка прекратились. Желая отблагодарить батюшку, он вынул из–за пазухи ровно сорок лепт и попытался вручить их священнику, непрерывно повторяя слова благодарности.

- Что это, дорогой мой ? — спросил отец Василий.

- Батюшка, это один грош — твоё вознаграждение.

- Но, чадо, разве молитва стоит всего один грош ? У тебя есть ещё с собой деньги ?

- Ох, владыко, молю тебя, прими эти деньги, и их–то я с трудом взял в долг.