To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, May 11.

By Andrew McChesney

How many ears do you have? Two! How many ears do you need? That’s a trickier question. Of course, a boy or girl can hear with only one ear.

Ales was born in Belarus with hearing in only one ear. Ales was born a month early. He didn’t weigh as much as other babies. When he was three months old, Mother took him to a doctor for tests. During those tests, the doctor found that Ales could only hear with one ear.

Mother was shocked. She worked with children who were deaf. She loved them just as much as she loved children who could hear. But she never imagined that her own child would not be able to hear with two ears.

She thought that the doctor must have made a mistake. Because she worked with children who couldn’t hear, she also knew how to run hearing tests. So, she ran a hearing test on little Ales. The tests showed that Ales really couldn’t hear with both ears.

But Mother still didn’t want to believe it. She took Ales to a special hospital for children with hearing difficulties. The doctor ran his own hearing tests. Mother watched the tests on a monitor. She saw deep inside Ales’ ears. One ear looked normal, and the other one did not. Mother saw that nothing could be done to help. She began to cry.

The doctor, however, didn’t want to see her tears. “Why are you crying?” he said, gruffly. “Your son can hear with one ear, and that’s enough.”

Back at home, Mother cried and cried. Then she talked to God.

“Why did You allow this to happen?” she said.

After a while, she turned on some music on her phone. A beautiful hymn started playing. It was called, “Nearer, My God, to Thee.” Mother had heard the hymn many times since she was a little girl. But for the first time she understood that God really was near to her. It felt good to know that God was near. But Mother still didn’t want to believe that Ales would never hear with one ear. She knew God could hear with both ears. She kept on talking to God. “Listen to me,” she said. “You can do anything. If You gave life to my son with only one ear, You could heal him and give him life with two ears.”

Three months passed, and Father had a birthday. Father didn’t want a cake for his birthday. He didn’t want any presents. He only wanted Ales to hear with both ears.

“Our son will hear,” he said to Mother. “God will do this as a gift for my birthday.”

He and Mother prayed and took Ales to the hospital for another hearing test. There was nowhere to sit while they waited. Mother carried Ales in her arms, and he felt so heavy. He weighed only 5 ½ pounds (2 ½ kilograms), but to Mother he felt like 25 pounds (10 kilograms).

Finally, the doctor called them in. When he finished the test, he said, “Your son can hear perfectly with both ears.”

Mother couldn’t believe her ears. She was so happy. “This is a miracle of God!” she exclaimed.

Indeed, it was a miracle. Mother had seen inside Ales’ ears on the monitor three months earlier. She had seen that no doctor could help Ales. But the Great Physician, Jesus Christ, had healed her boy, and now he could hear with both ears.

Father wept with joy at the news. He was so happy that God had given him such a wonderful gift on his birthday.

Today, Ales is 6 years old, and he can hear perfectly well with both ears. He uses his ears to learn Bible verses. He uses his ears to learn songs. He would like to use his ears to learn to become a doctor and to help other boys and girls. He knows that his hearing is a gift from God.

Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help open a special center where youth can learn about the God who hears prayers in Belarus, the country where Ales lives. Thank you for planning a generous offering on June 29.