Ivaylo grew up in Bulgaria without a positive role model or support of his parents. After his parents ended their marriage, his father became an alcoholic, and his mother remarried. But Ivaylo carried the pain and brokenness with him as he grew up.
As a teenager, Ivaylo began smoking, drinking and using drugs. He saw many of his friends die from overdoses. Fear of dying helped him reduce his substance use for about four years. During that time, he got married and had two children. The demands of his job kept him away from home for long periods of time. The pressure and challenges eventually overwhelmed him.
After the birth of his second child, Ivaylo relapsed and began using alcohol and other substances to self-medicate. His family situation deteriorated, and soon his wife left him to protect their children.
Pastor Vidin and his wife, Vanya, met Ivaylo when he visited their church. “He came twice to worship with us,” Vanya says. “But he showed no interest in Jesus. As we got to know him, we found out how bitter, alone and unreachable he truly was. Suddenly, Ivaylo changed his phone number and cut off all contact with us.”
One Saturday evening, about a month after Vanya had last seen Ivaylo, she felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit. She knew that she would soon receive a guest into her home and that she was to serve him and feed him. “When Sunday evening came, I began to doubt,” Vanya says. “Then I remembered Ivaylo and began praying for him. Just as I began to pray, the doorbell rang. It was Ivaylo! He was alone, visibly thinner and obviously under the influence of drugs.”
As Vanya stood at the door and talked with Ivaylo, she learned that he was without a permanent home, money or work. He asked if he could call his wife. At that moment, the Holy Spirit confirmed in her heart: “This is the one I sent.”
“I invited Ivaylo into our home, gave him a meal and packed some food he could take with him,” Vanya says. “He opened up and shared a desire to pray for repentance. I had never before seen a man weep like he wept that day. After we prayed, he called his wife from my phone and told her, ‘I believe in God. I’m ready for rehab, wherever they send me.’”
Pastor Vidin and Vanya connected Ivaylo with a Christian rehabilitation center abroad. He went there and stayed for a year. When he returned home, he reunited with his wife. Now, they attend church together regularly. He has a steady job and is providing for his family.
Ivaylo began studying the Bible using resources provided by Reach A Village. Recently, he was baptized and boldly shared his testimony of new life in Christ with everyone who was there. Now, he embraces this confession from God’s Word: “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
