Hello. My name is Pavel Koktishev. I’m 20.I’m a Kazakh born in Karaganda, and now live and work in Almaty. I write and direct a television program, “Leaders for the Twenty-first Century,” and I’m also president of the youth branch of the Green Party.

After meeting some people of Opus Dei, I began to get to know the message it is spreading throughout the world: that one can become a saint at work, in one’s daily tasks, serving others. To me, that is one of the principal goals of our life here on earth.

In the way I am, in my make-up, I’m a person who is “searching.” Naturally, before I can embrace a specific viewpoint, I have to travel a long road—a very long one: I have to reflect on these ideas—in my head and in my heart. I ask myself: Is this for me, or not.

The surprising thing is that from the first moment, it seemed to me that Opus Dei’s message could be the star to guide my steps, that it could become the principal path in my life. My main goal in life is to become an honorable person, to go to heaven, and to help others take the same path. If I do so, the rest will take care of itself.

All of this also helps me in my professional life. I see that my future lies in the world of politics. In this profession I’ll be able to help my fellow citizens, those at my side. It is precisely here, in my development, in my growth as a person, that my relationship with Opus Dei is going to play an important role.