Pavel's Discovery

A. Shatan

Pavel [PAH-vehl] was born deaf. His parents, who also are deaf, taught him sign language while he was a toddler and sent him in a special school for hearing-impaired children. But Pavel missed his parents terribly and did not do well in school.

Pavel looked forward to his school vacations, when he could visit his grandmother, a deeply spiritual woman. Often Pavel watched as she knelt before her icons, pictures of saints, and prayed. Her devotion to God influenced Pavel to search for a deeper level of spirituality in his own life. His parents bought him an Orthodox prayer book, and he read prayers morning and evening. Still he wondered if there was more to being spiritual.

Pavel's parents found another school for the hearing-impaired that was closer to their home in Tula, Russia. They knew that Pavel was bright, and they hoped that he would do better in his studies if he could be closer to home.

New School in Town

Pavel's new school was located in a small village called Zaoksky [zah-OHK-skee]. One day Pavel noticed workers building a new school. He learned that the new school was called Zaoksky Theological Seminary. Pavel smiled as he saw the cross on the bell tower, telling all that this building was dedicated to God. He wished that he could study in such a school. Perhaps then he could learn how to truly love and serve God.

One day he saw a secretary at his school wearing a button on her jacket that read "I love Sabbath School." Pavel asked her what it meant, and she explained that she was a student at the seminary, and Sabbath School is a meeting in which people study the Bible to learn more about God.

"I know about God," Pavel told her. "I pray, and I even recite the Lord's Prayer in the old Slavonic language." The young woman smiled and said, "God will hear you when you pray sincerely and from your heart, no matter what language you speak."

Pavel noticed that God was answering his prayers. He prayed for a Bible, and three days later he received a gift. He opened it and found a Bible. Inside was written, "To Pavel from Jesus."

Pavel's search for God took him to many different churches. His grandmother warned him about churches that teach false doctrines, but Pavel did not know what was true and what was false. Confused, he finally decided that it is enough to worship God in his heart.

While still in high school, Pavel became interested in the occult. He asked one of his teachers, who was a psychic healer, "Do you think I could become a psychic healer?" She told him that she thought he could and gave him some books to read. Then she told him that if he studied seriously, he could become as great as Christ Himself!

Fueled by her words, Pavel read the books she gave him. Months passed before he realized that the occult was not of God but of Satan.

Dream

Then God gave Pavel a dream that changed his life. He describes it thus: "I stood in a crowd of people. I saw Jesus there, but I did not pay attention to Him. I felt that I did not need Him. Suddenly a thick darkness settled around me, and I felt somebody fasten heavy iron chains on me. I felt myself being pulled toward hell, and I shouted for Christ to help me. But He did not seem to see or hear me. I shouted again, but Christ did not respond. Finally, with no strength in me, I cried, "Lord, I perish! Save me, and I will give You my soul!" As Jesus stretched His hands to help me, the chains fell away, as if they were made of paper. I awoke from my dream determined to serve God."

Pavel began attending the Seventh-day Adventist church, and eventually he was baptized in his hometown of Tula. On the day of his baptism a group of deaf people visited the church. Pavel learned that there were more than 2,000 hearing-impaired people living in the Tula region. Suddenly he knew that God was calling him to work with these people. He had good news that they needed and was eager to share with them what he was learning about Christ.

Called to Work for God

Even though the church members were warm and loving to him, Pavel's deafness still isolated him. He knew that other deaf people felt that same isolation, and he decided to minister to the small group of believers that the pastor was working with. He found many others who were searching for God, and he realized that he was uniquely qualified to share what he was learning with them.

Pavel realized that he needed to know the Bible far better in order to teach others. He had once dreamed of studying at the seminary in Zaoksky, but he had no money for tuition. Yet he could not ignore his need to study and learn more about the Bible. He began praying about it, and soon learned of a woman who was willing to sponsor him to study at the seminary.

Today Pavel is studying at the seminary. He returns to the boarding school where he once was a student and teaches Bible classes for the hearing-impaired children. He enjoys sharing his faith with his former teachers, too. In addition he teaches sign language to the students at Zaoksky Adventist Seminary. Thus he hopes to empower others to reach and relate to those who are hearing-impaired.

"I am just like any other person, except that I cannot hear," Pavel says. "When I was lost, God stretched out His hand and saved me. He has shown me that He has a plan for my life. I do not want to disappoint my Saviour."

God is blessing Pavel's efforts, and today he leads a congregation of about 75 hearing-impaired believers in Tula, Russia. Among them are his mother and father, who began attending church as a result of his testimony.

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Pavel Petrov is a student at Zaoksky Theological Seminary. He is an ordained local elder in the church he serves that is entirely dedicated to those who are deaf and hearing-impaired. A. Shatan is a third-year student of theology at Zaoksky Theological Seminary.

This story originally appeared in the adult edition of Mission, 3rd quarter 2001, edited by Charlotte Ishkanian. Used by permission.