I will serve as long as God grants me health
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Mikuláš Stehlík was born in 1954 in Volhynia, Ukraine. He grew up in a poor family of farm labourers. His father belonged among the so-called Volhynia Czechs, his mother was Ukrainian. In 1966 the family emigrated to Czechoslovakia and settled in Aš. He went to the primary school in Czechoslovakia, then trained as a mechanization specialist and maintenance technician of farming machines. He entered the Church of the Seventh Day Adventists and was baptised. He worked in a farm as a repair technician of farming machines. In 1974 he was called for the military service in Kadaň. He refused to swear in because of his faith, for which he was then arrested and sentenced to eighteen months in prison. He served his sentence in Bělušice prison. In 1977 he was called for the military service again and got to Přerov, where he worked on the airport construction. He then joined the church, first as an administrator, then as a preacher in Beroun and Příbram. He also served in Luže and then as a chaplain in Rýnovice prison. He is currently retired but still serves as a preacher.
