There are people in life who have a special mission on Earth. Their main qualities are enormous fortitude (able to inspire others not to give in to difficulties and easily accept change), a large supply of vital energy (which they generously share with others), and a sunny smile. And the irrepressible thirst for life, the thirst to help people around them in their difficulties and sincerely share joys simply amazes and evokes a feeling of gratitude in the heart.
This is exactly the kind of person Mikhail Ovchinnikov was and will remain for many - priest, writer, artist, great man of his time.
About life
On September 5, 2022, the earthly journey of a beloved and generous clergyman, a talented figure and simply an incredibly kind person ended.
In recent years, Father Mikhail lived in the city of Sudak (Crimea) with his wife, Mother Lyudmila. The courtyard with a small chapel and a house was located on the outskirts of the city, but was visible from everywhere, since it is located in the central part of the Sudak Valley.
And Father Mikhail served in the Holy Protection Church. This church has a long history, special energy, many parishioners and beautiful interior decoration (frescoes, icons, a lot of light). They always waited for the priest before the start of the service, and then went for a blessing at the end.
Before serving in Sudak, Father Mikhail was in the Toplovsky convent of St. Paraskeva - recovering strength after a car accident in 1999...
People from all over Russia and other countries came here to visit the priest. Some wanted to get to know each other, and some wanted to ask for advice in a life situation. And what’s most amazing is that everyone found the necessary calm and consolation from him, a kind word and wise advice.
And this is all despite the fact that Archpriest Mikhail Ovchinnikov himself received many injuries in a car accident, and his health at that time was just beginning to return to normal.
And Father Michael began his spiritual path from the Holy Dormition Church in the city of Verkhnedneprovsk...
Biography
Archpriest Mikhail Ovchinnikov is a man of interesting destiny. In fact, there are very few such people on Earth. To be talented not in one, but in several areas of activity at once, and so brilliantly talented! The words are truly true: “A talented person is talented in everything.”
Before taking holy orders, he studied at the Kazan Aviation Institute. And after graduating from university, he went to the Ukrainian lands, to the city of Dnepropetrovsk - to work as a rocketry tester at the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau (KB) and at the Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant (UMZ). He was an excellent master of his craft, a very respected engineer.
The biography of Archpriest Mikhail Ovchinnikov shows that, in addition to his talent in the technical field (work at the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau), he was also well versed in music, sculpture, and fine arts. And his paintings were a huge success at personal exhibitions.
Expressed himself and his creative potential simultaneously through several areas of activity. But there was no true satisfaction - deep, absolute. And Michael decided to find real depth and joy in serving the Lord.
Hype and blind following of trends
Hype and blind following of trends are the main problems of the market, in my opinion. Young programming fields are especially guilty of this. Experts with no experience come here and start doing some things in a less than optimal way.
There are languages that cause a lot of hype today. Now they have appeared, and everyone is urgently starting to switch to them. So, recently three very popular languages have appeared. And no one cares that very few projects can be launched in these languages. It’s just fashionable to know them, it’s fashionable to talk about them!
The first such language is Go (Golang). It was created by Google for utilitarian tasks such as creating server-side applications and high-performance daemons. There is also the Swift language created by Apple. It is used exclusively for creating iOS applications. And the Rust language, which is positioned as a simplified alternative to C++. I don't see anything wrong with them. They will probably continue to develop. But this does not mean at all that they will be popular in the future!
In any case, languages are not the fundamental thing in programming. Much more important are the technologies that will have to be built around this language. In web development, for example, it is important to know not only the language, but also how the server, databases work, and what protocols are involved in all this.
An even bigger problem is lack of motivation. A man learned a language, learned a second one, found his first job and... stuck there. He has become bored, he is not developing in any way, nothing is working out for him.
How to overcome this? Abandon the very concept of a “comfortable situation.” Be ready to change, learn something new, develop. Don’t think that after making your first apps or websites, you already know everything. This newbie syndrome goes away with time.
Mikhail Ovchinnikov
Lead Developer of Badoo
A person with one year of work experience is confident that he can do everything. And with fifteen years of experience, he only modestly admits that he has only understood one narrow area.
New stage
According to the few data about the life of this remarkable man, in 1991 he moved to Verkhnedneprovsk (Dnepropetrovsk region), where Archpriest Mikhail Ovchinnikov served as the spiritual mentor of the Holy Dormition Church.
At the same time, he entered the Odessa Theological Seminary and successfully graduated from it.
He also promotes and actively participates in the creation of a monastery in Verkhnedneprovsk, named in honor of the Metropolitan of Kyiv and Galicia, His Holiness Vladimir. Archpriest Mikhail Ovchinnikov dedicates the first akathist to him (a song of praise and thanksgiving dedicated to God, the Most Holy Theotokos, an Angel or a holy person).
Car accident
In 1999, Archpriest Mikhail Ovchinnikov had a car accident. Lots of fractures and bruises. Resuscitation... It was a turning point in life: for him, his loved ones, and parishioners. Three very difficult days, two clinical deaths, prayers of the temple servants... Doctors predicted the worst, but he was miraculously returned to earthly life. And he lived on Earth for another 18 fruitful years.
After the hospital, Father Mikhail went to the Toplovsky Monastery (Crimea) to be treated with the waters of the holy spring, which is on the territory of the convent, called St. Paraskevievsky.
It was after that tragedy that the book “The Secret of the Other World” was born. Evidence from the Threshold of Eternity."
Between life and death
When the priest was in a state of clinical death, a real miracle happened to him. He felt himself separated from his physical body, saw the light of heaven and heard the singing of angels, as well as the prayers of his novices.
The archpriest also said that he saw his mother in the subtle world, as well as a spiritual mentor (who by that time were no longer on Earth).
All sensations and visions are reflected in his book “The Secret of the Other World...”, which was published by the Danilov Monastery Publishing House.
Archpriest Mikhail Ovchinnikov says that when he realized himself in the subtle body, he felt extraordinary lightness and liberation from everything physical. Moreover, the perception of color, light, sound, and shape gradually began to appear. And the world was permeated with light-life.
He felt and heard the prayers of his novices, the chants of male voices who prayed for three days and three nights for their beloved spiritual mentor. And his soul responded to the prayers of the parishioners, and returned again to the body, which doctors here on Earth tried to “bring” back to normal.
Due to his natural modesty, after everything he saw and experienced, Father Mikhail in no way dared to assert that everything he saw during clinical death was the experience of Heavenly Life. But I couldn’t even call it a dream or post-operative delirium.
Everything was according to the Will of the Lord. Archpriest Mikhail Ovchinnikov was destined to see the subtle world in order to tell people about it. Which is what he did in his book “The Secret of the Other World.”
Apple created a new industry
It’s hard for me to judge how much the development market has changed over the past ten years: in 2010 I was just starting out. In the West, web development was popular back in the late nineties. In Russia, they came to the understanding that you can make money in this area ten years later. I fit very well into this wave of general interest.
As for me, today’s market is not much different from that of ten years ago. Salaries were high and remain so. The same can be said about the requirements placed on programmers. Except that in ten years web development has become even more in demand.
Mobile development has also formed and become a separate large area.
Mikhail Ovchinnikov
Lead Developer of Badoo
The iPhone was released in 2007, and in 2008 a new version was released on which applications could be installed. And away we go... You could say Apple created a new industry.
Today, the Russian development industry has developed its own standards. Employers have learned to correctly assess their workforce: what they can ask from their future employees and what they cannot, what questions they can ask and what they should not ask, how to create vacancies, what roles are in development.
In this sense, the Russian IT sector very quickly adopted the experience of its Western colleagues. Today, businesses not only implement methodologies known throughout the world, but also competently distribute roles in projects. If in 2005 companies only had the position of programmer, then by 2010 architects, juniors, seniors, middle managers and team leads emerged from the profession.
Abroad, when applying for a vacancy, it is customary to send a cover letter with a story about yourself: what kind of specialist you are, why you want to work in this company and why they should hire you. And in the West, recruitment agencies take an active part in hiring, both on the part of the employer and the job seekers. In Russia, you can change jobs and employers all your life and never meet with an agency representative.
Toplovsky Monastery
This monastery, to which Father Mikhail subsequently moved to heal his flesh, is famous for its sacred springs. Their waters have healing properties, especially the Spring of the Holy Martyr Paraskeva, located right on the territory of the temple.
There is also the Spring of St. George, which is located 2 kilometers from the monastery (in the forest). And the Source of the Three Saints, which is 5 kilometers from the monastery (water is currently supplied to the temple through a pipeline).
Many pilgrims and tourists come to these holy places every year. Each source has a chapel and a font.
The name of the temple comes from the name of the village - Topolevka (or even earlier - Toply), on the territory of which at one time there was a Greek settlement. Now this village is called Uchebny. And it is located around the Toplovsky Monastery.
The monastery was founded in the 60s of the 19th century on the site where a healing spring had been flowing for many years. According to popular legend, Paraskeva suffered sacred torment in this area for her faith in the Lord. And a spring with sacred water appeared in this place.
Miraculously, the icon of St. Paraskeva was given to the temple servants, which the Greeks took to the city of Mariupol, in Ukraine. This jewel was preserved in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and at one time saved the city from the disease - cholera.
And regarding the origin of the Toplovsky convent, there is information that in the 19th century, in a cave not far from the future monastery, the hermit Konstantina from the village of Kursk lived for 7 years. Then she moved to a dugout near the source of St. Paraskeva. And after a while other women came to her. Konstantina took monastic vows and became the abbess of the resulting monastery, receiving the name Paraskeva.
Currently there are three temples here:
- Church of St. Paraskeva.
- Church in the name of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow.”
- Holy Trinity Cathedral.
It was here that Archpriest Mikhail Ovchinnikov regained his spiritual strength and was cured of physical ailments. The healing properties of air, energy and holy water helped in overcoming the deadly disease.
Guests constantly came to him, whom he and his wife cordially greeted. We talked for a long time and about many things: about life, health, faith, spirituality. We drank herbal tea and ate pies prepared by our caring mother Lyudmila.
Books
Archpriest Mikhail Ovchinnikov wrote several serious works during his life. These are books:
- “The Crown of Thorns of Disease” (published in 2012 and 2014).
- “Between Life and Death” (2005).
- “The secret of the other world. Evidence from the Threshold of Eternity" (2014).
- "Return to Paradise Lost. View from the window on Athos" (posthumously).
In his book “The Crown of Thorns...”, the priest, completely relying on the mercy and love of the Lord, describes his experience of overcoming cancer. There are also information about the causes and recommendations for treatment (folk remedies).
Father Mikhail invites you to think seriously about your life, about why such a test was sent. And also about the healing power of sincere prayer and mental suffering.
The publication helps sick people more easily bear the news of the disease, survive the shock and accept the situation. Take responsibility for your life while relying on God. The language of the book is sincere and heartfelt, inspiring for the best and forcing you not to give in to difficulties. The archpriest also talks about the subtle world: about beauty, light and eternity.
The book “Return to the Lost Paradise...” was written by the priest about his trip to Greece - to the holy Mount Athos. Although it was not easy to write this book (in recent years, injuries have made themselves known more and more often) due to my health. The book was being prepared for publication by the publishing house of the Danilov Monastery and was published after the death of the clergyman. But he put into it a lot of love, warmth and faith in the bright future of humanity.
From the memories of Archpriest Mikhail Ovchinnikov from his family and friends: his main dream was that every person who sees the eternal Athos in his window - not in the literal sense, but through contact with the destinies of other people - would be able to receive true inspiration, strength and light prayers of Athonite clergy. After all, it is precisely such extraordinary, bright and kind-hearted people who illuminate the path of everyone living on Earth with Heavenly Light. They truly transform the lives of many people - all over the face of the Earth.
Father Michael's books tell about inner strength of spirit, about love for the Lord and all His creation. They impress readers by the fact that everything described was experienced by the author in life. And the publications are dedicated to his wife, Mother Lyudmila.
Easy Money
I sold my first website for a thousand rubles. I made it using HTML from several pages with some clumsy design. This was during my first years at the institute. When I realized that people were also willing to pay money for my useless programming knowledge, I was truly delighted! With the first thousand I earned I paid for my home Internet.
At the institute I could earn 5 thousand in an hour. It was the easiest money in my life.
Once I met a man who was creating websites. He had a huge flow of orders for simple business card websites, which had to be done very often and in large quantities. I made them according to a standard template: I took a ready-made design, laid it out for half an hour, filled it in with some text for another 30 minutes - and it was done. Then I uploaded it to the hosting within ten minutes. Everything took about an hour
By the last year of study, I had accumulated experience that allowed me to get a job as a developer at the publishing house “Around the World”. I was paid 35 thousand rubles a month - not the most money for 2010. At the same time, I got a job teaching computer science to children at Physics and Technology College. For this work I also received 35 thousand rubles. In general, there was enough for life!
At Around the World I had complete freedom, I could develop and solve interesting problems, which helped me quickly grow in my profession. Although I didn’t have any super-cool fellow programmers there, I didn’t really have anyone to learn from. I think if they were, I would grow professionally twice as fast. Teaching at Physics and Technology College allowed me to become more confident. I gained skills in public speaking and working with audiences, which were useful in the future.
I worked at Around the World and Phystech for about three years. After that, I changed companies several times (each subsequent one was better, both in terms of salary and conditions), until a friend told me about an opening at Badoo. At first I worked in the Moscow office, later I moved to London.
Awe of the Mystery
Relatives, many parishioners, admirers and other clergy noted that Father Mikhail, after restoring his health and fully returning to life, began to better understand the Providence of God, but still retained a certain awe of the Mystery that was revealed to him during his stay in the subtle world.
He was given by the Lord a second chance to live an earthly life - so that he could do something great for people - he spoke about the Heavenly World, and also helped by his example in difficult moments of life to remain persistent and believe in himself, relying on the Divine plan.
Archpriest Vladimir Karpets in the preface to the first edition of the book “Between Life and Death” (which was published by the Dnepropetrovsk publishing house) describes the visions of the subtle world by Archpriest Mikhail Ovchinnikov as a “providential discovery.” And his meeting with his mentor Archpriest Konstantin Ogienko and his mother, during which each of them gives him advice for the rest of his earthly life, is like something greatest, going beyond the ordinary understanding of life.
The spiritual mentor strongly recommends that you keep in your memory everything that Father Mikhail saw and tell it to people. And the mother admonished her son to continue his earthly life, that for now there was no blessing from the Lord for him to remain on the subtle plane.
When, during services, someone inadvertently shouted to Archpriest Mikhail Ovchinnikov that he was a happy person to see “this,” he received a rather sharp response from the priest. He said that no one can even imagine what they had to go through and what they experienced and experienced in order to see all this. But at the same time he remained calm and optimistic.
Of course, only a person with truly extraordinary fortitude can be so merciful and understanding towards people, even if he hears inappropriate phrases or questions. After the publication of the book “The Secret of the Other World...” a lot of letters began to arrive at the Toplovsky Monastery. And after the publication of the book “The Crown of Thorns of Disease...” pilgrims began to come.
And everyone was looking for support, understanding, help in overcoming fears and other internal and external problems. Father gave consolation, help, support. His soul was open to anyone, and his heartfelt love warmed every meeting.
Being determines consciousness
When you just start doing something, it doesn’t matter whether it’s programming or accounting, you think like an ordinary person who is not very knowledgeable in these matters. As you begin to perform more specialized and complex tasks, your thinking changes. This happens with all professions.
Thus, a person, becoming a biologist, begins to see biological laws and dependencies in everything that surrounds him. This is his vision of the world. It's the same in programming. Thinking does not determine who you become. It is who you become that determines how you think!
A case from one's life
Friends, representatives from publishing houses, pilgrims who came to the home of Father Mikhail and his wife Mother Lyudmila - in Sudak (during the years of his life and active spiritual and educational activities), noted the rich correspondence with people from different parts of Russia and the world, photographs, carefully stored tape recorders records.
We also observed his meetings and interactions with people and parishioners. They realized how many people turned to him for various advice regarding various areas of human life. And Archpriest Mikhail Ovchinnikov patiently answered everyone, listened to everyone. He invested a lot of himself in every meeting, person, communication.
One day the following story happened in the life of a priest and one deeply religious woman from Ukraine. When she was on a pilgrimage to the holy places of Crimea, she stopped at the Toplovsky Monastery. And it so happened that she went to Father Mikhail for confession. She told her sad story (that her father was sick, he was of Muslim faith). The priest listened, asked the woman about communion, and in response he received words that stunned him: “I take communion very rarely... Because I consider myself unworthy...”.
And he explained in detail to the woman how important it is to be “in Christ” through Holy Communion. After all, this helps to be in a calm and harmonious state, to face any difficulties with dignity and to endure them easily. And that everyone is equal and worthy before the Lord. And you need to take communion at least once a month. Father Mikhail's words had a very strong effect on the woman. She reconsidered her views: on herself, on the place of God in her life, on her family. And in her heart she realized the importance and deep value of what the priest told her.
She began to confess and receive communion once every three weeks, then once every two, and now every week. And not because it is an urgent need. But because it became the need of her soul and heart. Her life, as well as that of her loved ones, became easier and soon changed for the better.
From the outside it looks like we are looking at photos of beautiful girls
Badoo is an IT company, the largest international dating service, with more than 390 million registered people. The application is translated into 47 languages, available in 190 countries, and the company has offices around the world. We have a very serious development team - more than two hundred programmers alone.
I've been at Badoo for several years now. Actually, I had no great desire to move from the country to join an international company, but Badoo offers many different bonuses. We have a good office and the salary is above the market.
I head the anti-spam and fraud department. My work is largely related to data analysis, statistics collection, machine learning and Big Data. This is not an easy matter; there are no precise methods or specialized solutions for combating spam on social networks. Every company reinvents protection. We create manual and automatic tools that allow you to find and block hundreds of thousands of bad accounts.
Since Badoo is an international network, this leaves a certain imprint on my work. For example, when an emergency situation arises on the other side of the globe, it is necessary to urgently respond to it. Sometimes you have to get up at three in the morning and solve a problem.
Mikhail Ovchinnikov
Lead Developer of Badoo
Our department does everything to make communication within the Badoo network comfortable and safe. From the outside it looks like we spend all day looking at user photos, but in reality it is a colossal amount of work.
As for my life in London, today everything suits me. From here it is easy and cheap to travel throughout Europe. I try to go on vacation four to five times a year for a few days or a week. I often fly to Moscow and St. Petersburg to visit friends and family. I also do fitness. In London there are gyms on every corner. The food in our office is so delicious that we have to go to the gym almost every day.
