1 00:00:00,787 --> 00:00:02,912 How many ears do you have? 2 00:00:02,912 --> 00:00:03,956 Two! 3 00:00:03,956 --> 00:00:05,769 How many ears do you need? 4 00:00:05,769 --> 00:00:07,718 That's a trickier question. 5 00:00:07,718 --> 00:00:11,802 Of course, a boy or girl can hear with only one ear. 6 00:00:11,802 --> 00:00:15,985 Ales was born in Belarus with hearing in only one ear. 7 00:00:15,985 --> 00:00:18,301 Ales was born a month early. 8 00:00:18,301 --> 00:00:20,772 He didn't weigh as much as other babies. 9 00:00:20,772 --> 00:00:22,568 When he was three months old, 10 00:00:22,568 --> 00:00:25,118 his mother took him to a doctor for tests. 11 00:00:25,118 --> 00:00:27,252 During those tests, the doctor found 12 00:00:27,252 --> 00:00:30,802 that Ales could only hear with one ear. 13 00:00:30,802 --> 00:00:32,935 Ales' mother was shocked. 14 00:00:32,935 --> 00:00:34,823 She worked with children who were deaf. 15 00:00:34,823 --> 00:00:38,869 She loved them just as much as she loved children who could hear. 16 00:00:38,869 --> 00:00:41,753 But she never imagined that her own child 17 00:00:41,753 --> 00:00:45,187 wouldn't be able to hear with two ears. 18 00:00:45,187 --> 00:00:48,219 She thought that the doctor must have made a mistake. 19 00:00:48,219 --> 00:00:50,902 Because she worked with children who couldn't hear, 20 00:00:50,902 --> 00:00:54,022 she also knew how to run hearing tests. 21 00:00:54,022 --> 00:00:57,502 So, she ran a hearing test on little Ales. 22 00:00:57,502 --> 00:01:02,152 The tests showed that Ales really couldn't hear with both ears. 23 00:01:02,152 --> 00:01:05,370 But Ales' mother still didn't want to believe it. 24 00:01:05,370 --> 00:01:07,102 She took him to a special hospital 25 00:01:07,102 --> 00:01:09,369 for children with hearing difficulties. 26 00:01:09,369 --> 00:01:10,955 The doctor ran his own tests. 27 00:01:10,955 --> 00:01:13,836 Ales' mother watched the tests on a monitor. 28 00:01:13,836 --> 00:01:16,586 She saw deep inside Ales' ears. 29 00:01:16,586 --> 00:01:19,957 One ear looked normal, and the other one didn't. 30 00:01:19,957 --> 00:01:22,836 She saw that nothing could be done to help. 31 00:01:22,836 --> 00:01:24,718 She began to cry. 32 00:01:24,718 --> 00:01:28,177 The doctor, however, didn't want to see her tears. 33 00:01:28,177 --> 00:01:30,919 "Why are you crying?" he said, gruffly. 34 00:01:30,919 --> 00:01:34,168 "Your son can hear with one ear, and that's enough." 35 00:01:34,168 --> 00:01:37,054 Back home, Ales' mother cried and cried. 36 00:01:37,054 --> 00:01:38,885 Then she talked to God. 37 00:01:38,885 --> 00:01:42,053 "Why did You allow this to happen?" she asked. 38 00:01:42,053 --> 00:01:45,303 After a while, she turned on some music on her phone. 39 00:01:45,303 --> 00:01:47,470 A beautiful hymn started playing. 40 00:01:47,470 --> 00:01:50,736 It was called, "Nearer, My God, to Thee." 41 00:01:50,736 --> 00:01:55,102 Ales' mother had heard the hymn many times since she was a little girl. 42 00:01:55,102 --> 00:01:57,320 But for the first time she understood 43 00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:00,053 that God really was near her. 44 00:02:00,053 --> 00:02:02,998 It felt good to know that God was near. 45 00:02:02,998 --> 00:02:04,753 But she still didn't want to believe 46 00:02:04,753 --> 00:02:07,403 that Ales would never hear with one ear. 47 00:02:07,403 --> 00:02:09,622 She kept on talking to God. 48 00:02:09,622 --> 00:02:12,238 "You can do anything," she said. 49 00:02:12,238 --> 00:02:15,470 "If You gave life to my son with only one ear, 50 00:02:15,470 --> 00:02:19,737 You could heal him and give him life with two ears." 51 00:02:19,737 --> 00:02:23,069 Three months passed, |and Ales' father had a birthday. 52 00:02:23,069 --> 00:02:24,852 He didn't want a cake for his birthday. 53 00:02:24,852 --> 00:02:26,637 He didn't want any presents. 54 00:02:26,637 --> 00:02:30,204 He only wanted Ales to hear with both ears. 55 00:02:30,204 --> 00:02:32,737 "Our son will hear," he said. 56 00:02:32,737 --> 00:02:36,090 "God will do this as a gift for my birthday." 57 00:02:36,090 --> 00:02:38,755 They prayed and took Ales to the hospital 58 00:02:38,755 --> 00:02:40,704 for another hearing test. 59 00:02:40,704 --> 00:02:43,223 There was nowhere to sit while they waited. 60 00:02:43,223 --> 00:02:45,620 Ales' mother carried him in her arms, 61 00:02:45,620 --> 00:02:47,271 and he felt so heavy. 62 00:02:47,271 --> 00:02:48,938 Finally, the doctor called them in. 63 00:02:48,938 --> 00:02:50,776 When he finished the test, he said, 64 00:02:50,776 --> 00:02:54,187 "Your son can hear perfectly with both ears." 65 00:02:54,187 --> 00:02:57,769 Ales' mother couldn't believe her ears. 66 00:02:57,769 --> 00:02:59,637 She was so happy. 67 00:02:59,637 --> 00:03:02,636 "This is a miracle of God!" she exclaimed. 68 00:03:02,636 --> 00:03:05,290 Indeed, it was a miracle. 69 00:03:05,290 --> 00:03:08,453 Ales' mother had seen inside his ears on the monitor 70 00:03:08,453 --> 00:03:09,753 three months earlier. 71 00:03:09,753 --> 00:03:12,641 She had seen that no doctor could help Ales. 72 00:03:12,641 --> 00:03:15,187 But the Great Physician, Jesus Christ, 73 00:03:15,187 --> 00:03:16,688 had healed her boy, 74 00:03:16,688 --> 00:03:19,461 and now he could hear with both ears. 75 00:03:19,461 --> 00:03:22,670 Ales' father wept with joy at the news. 76 00:03:22,670 --> 00:03:24,869 He was so happy that God had given him 77 00:03:24,869 --> 00:03:27,903 such a wonderful gift on his birthday. 78 00:03:27,903 --> 00:03:30,937 Today, Ales is 6 years old, 79 00:03:30,937 --> 00:03:34,057 and he can hear perfectly well with both ears. 80 00:03:34,057 --> 00:03:36,606 He uses his ears to learn Bible verses. 81 00:03:36,606 --> 00:03:39,171 He uses his ears to learn songs. 82 00:03:39,171 --> 00:03:42,854 He would like to use his ears to learn to become a doctor 83 00:03:42,854 --> 00:03:45,155 and to help other boys and girls. 84 00:03:45,155 --> 00:03:50,020 He knows that his hearing is a gift from God.