It was in the midst of a still Communist Russia that Pavel first heard the message of the Gospel. A Christian group had formed in his village, and he was immediately intrigued by a copy of the New Testament that the members had. His curiosity soon led him to attend one of their group meetings.

In the midst of that small group study, the Word of God touched Pavels heart in a way that he had never experienced before, and his life was changed completely. He vowed to start saving for his own copy of the New Testament immediately. At the time, the value of a New Testament was $100, much more than Pavel could possibly afford, so he knew he had a long wait ahead of him. But it was not an idle wait.

Cherished treasure
In the meantime, Pavel asked if he could borrow the groups New Testament. He craved the Scriptures so badly that he was more than willing to copy it all by hand. But he knew he would have to be careful. Not only would he face reprisal from Communist officials, but his Orthodox family would also persecute him if they knew what he was doing.

Pavel hid a kerosene lantern, the New Testament, and a notebook under the blanket every evening. He would then carefully copy as much as he could until he needed to come out for fresh air. He repeated this process night after night for almost one year, until he had his very own hand copied New Testament to read and cherish.

Now others have this treasure
Today, Pavel is thankful that many more Christians are receiving their own copies of the Word of God. As a trained Christian worker, Pavel is using Bible studies to evangelize and disciple new believers. As his fellow Russians complete a study, they each earn a New Testament or a Bible of their very own.

Pavel can now point to a shelf full of Bibles that he uses with those he helps and he says that he cant believe how blessed he is today to have more than one Bible to share after copying his first New Testament by hand!