Former DJ became a priest in the Altai village. He is now doing everything to the place where he settled, became popular. Besides,

“What kind of car you drove, still every road leads to God”, – is spoken in the video that 31-year-old Pavel Korchagin took to his YouTube channel and “Pop in a jeep”. Three years ago, he along with his family moved to an abandoned village in the forest and is now doing everything that this place has become popular.

Of the DJs in the priests

Ten years ago, his life was full of partying until morning. Having graduated Altai state University, Paul opened with a friend in his hometown Zarinsk first night club. In “Euphoria” played the coolest electronic music, there was no release from the visitors. Business brought in a steady income. Some time later, the partners closed the restaurant for repairs. During this period, the small town has a competitor, and work with the young people began to decline. Paul began to think what to do next.

“One morning I woke up and felt like I’m living someone else’s life, – shares with “StarHit” Korchagin. I grew up in an ordinary family: mum worked in kindergarten, my dad was a trucker. In dashing 90-e it was easy “to please in the wrong direction”, but my parents saved me – I went to Sunday school at the Church, then in Tobolsk theological Seminary. Then, while studying at the University, was engaged in club, away from religion, and, perhaps, the soul yearned for grace. Mom and dad supported it.”

Mom and dad supported son. Friends wondered how the man who dreamed to be a top DJ, decided to become a priest. So seven years ago, Paul arrived in Barnaul theological Seminary. There he met his future wife Mary. They were married in 2013. And soon Korchagin was appointed rector in the village of khmelivka in 27 km from Zarinsk. There he was to organize a parish, which was not more than 100 years.

“I imagined how wonderful it all will change I’ll go, gracious father, all will be in my mouth to look, some tea with pretzels to buy, – says Paul. – But in reality it was not so. Khmelivka is almost extinct, there lives about one thousand people. Shop, a kindergarten and a school on the verge of closing. Youth trying to get out into the city. Those who remained, engaged in farming, in season, mow the hay, go into the forest with rare Altai herbs for sale, fortunate, work on deforestation.”

Mileage on the road

The priest restored temple of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the first time in service there were a total of eight grandmothers. Donations almost wasn’t – gained from the strength of fifteen hundred rubles a month. But Paul needs to keep the temple and family. Korchagin began to engage in subsistence farming: the couple keep a cow calf, a dozen chickens, and this year started the apiary. Feeding them and taiga: the priest collects there herbs, harvests birch twigs and fir oil. All this buying from him friends.

“Car-terrain vehicle in these areas is a necessity, says Paul. Every two weeks I need to ride to the station Tyagun 80 kilometers, there are no churches. And recently baptized children in the village on the border with the Kemerovo region – there are even products hard to deliver”.

The distances were not an obstacle, two years ago Korchagin bought on credit “Field” in 1982. Decided to improve the car and started to explore the sites on the SUVs. With a friend went into town to a junkyard, found the right parts, and a couple of months the updated jeep was ready.

“Once I got into motor racing in Zarinsk, – says Paul. – So fascinated by cars that decided to organize a RAID on the forest – because there are so many beautiful places. Threw cry through the website of one club. Thought, gather a couple of cars – and that’s good. At the appointed time to the temple came 20 SUVs! We went on an expedition, she was dedicated to the martyrs – monks killed during the great Patriotic war in our area. Visited the vanished village, put crosses are overcome 175 km.

Since then the priest has met four of the RAID and several “itineraries”. Video from travels Paul puts in his blog “a Pop in the jeep.”

“I show life the bulk of the priests, and not what people are used to seeing in the media: scandals, with expensive cars and gossip pokémon – continues our hero. – Shoot simple camera gifted by a friend. My channel is dedicated to life in the taiga village, as my wife and daughters, 4-year-old Kira and 2-year-old Antonina, run a household. Trying to draw attention to the problems of the villages and wild edges. Naturally “hardened” colleagues do not approve of my classes. But in any case, there are supporters and opponents.

Despite the hardships, Paul was not discouraged, and from Khmelevka not planning to leave. It supports a spouse. Maria, a lawyer by training, recently decided to run for the post of head of the village Council.

“She hopes to raise the village from the devastation, said the area is promising, says Korchagin. – Because we can and forest harvest, and fees of medicinal plants to do, and rural tourism to develop. Sometimes, of course, the wife sad from the heavy and frankly miserable existence, but nothing – still holding on. I’m a romantic, an adventurer, me the village is well. I believe that everything is focused here Russian life”.