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thought of death. I became paranoid and couldn’t leave the house. My parents put me in a psychiatric ward, but shock therapy did no good. Aſter returning home I called a friend who had started attending church. I asked him to take me to a church service. “Well, I don’t go to church anymore,” he explained, “but if you buy me a pack of cigarettes, I’ll show you where the church is.” I agreed. It was a summer evening, a youth
meeting actually, and only about seven people were there. Tere was no special program; they just sat around singing songs and talking about God. I had no idea what they were singing about or talking about, but for the first time in months I felt peace. I was drawn to the peace and love I found there. I started attending every church service they had. Anytime the doors were open I was there. I even joined the choir. Six months later, on December, 13, 1999, I accepted Christ as my personal Savior. In my 12 years with the Lord I’ve
seen a lot of guys just like me accept Christ. Half of them ended up returning to their former lifestyles. Tragically, some of them have since died from drug
overdoses or AIDS. It could have ended that way for me, too, if it hadn’t been for a very godly man who played a special role in my life. A few weeks aſter I was baptized he encouraged me to enroll in a Bible Institute. Although I was hesitant at first (I never really enjoyed school), he personally saw to it that I was enrolled and accepted into a Bible Institute. Tat step made the difference for me. It helped me to plant my roots firmly in the truth and to grow strong in the Lord. I will be forever grateful for the influence that man had on my life. Now I have a wonderful beautiful
family. Te Lord has allowed me to serve Him in ministry—me, the guy who was set out to destroy his own life! Now I get to serve God by ministering to men of all ages through our soccer ministry. Laura and I are also involved in small groups and discipling new believers. It is a privilege to get to serve the Lord and be involved in bringing others to Him. By the way, my best friend Pavel, now has a degree in Missionology from Kiev Teological Seminary, and is currently serving the Lord as a missionary to Turks in the Northern Caucuses. n
bmaamissions.org n theGLEANER 15
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