On April 2–8, 2023, Samara, Russia, hosted Keys to Health, a spiritual and health program and training session for volunteers to serve in centers of influence. The program was conducted by invited guests Jean and Zhanna Taranyuk.

Since December 2022, the Samara Seventh-day Adventist Church has been actively preparing for Keys to Health, based at the social and leisure center. The members of the church prayed for their friends, acquaintances, relatives, and neighbors. Prayers were answered by God in the form of 76 people who went through various wellness procedures during the week-long program.

Keys to Health was conducted by the Taranyuks. The event included the passage of four locations by the guest, where healthy lifestyle instructors offered initial reception and determination of needs, massage, procedures—herbal medicine, medical wraps, compresses, warming bags, etc.—visiting the tea room with spiritual conversations, and prayers of the pastors.

On April 1, at the church services of the community, which were held in two places, ten people came out to the call for baptism. And during the program, the tea room became the spiritual center of the whole event, where, over a cup of herbal tea and healthy goodies, pastors listened to visitors, prayed for their needs, talked about the love of Christ and the power of the Gospel, offered Bible lessons, Christian books and brochures, newspapers, and literature on HLS. 

The ministers also talked about the eight principles of health against the backdrop of posters and encouraged visitors to take the path of a healthy lifestyle. At the end of the program, the total number of people who wished to take the “So says the Bible” courses reached 20 people. The Lord rallied all the organizers of the project in the spirit of humble service. Every day after lunch, the team underwent theoretical training under the guidance of the Taranyuks, who revealed the essence of ministry in centers of influence. The training of volunteers and pastors from the communities of the Samara region inspired the team members in this work.

“As part of the program, I saw the Lord's answer to prayers for my loved ones and the importance of a healthy lifestyle for Christian and non-Christian families,” says team member Elvira.

“It was very comfortable for me to work in a single team. I felt strong support from the pastors and received many answers to my difficult questions,” adds Angelina.

“I didn't have the opportunity and didn't want to work in a team to promote this program, but God had other thoughts for me. As a result, I served in the team throughout the program, and on [Sabbath], I was baptized in water, ”Alexandra sincerely shares.

On Sabbath, after the completion of the wellness program, Pastor Taranyuk organized a master class on conducting a Bible lesson with candidates for baptism. “Bible school and teaching Bible lessons in a simple and accessible way should become a daily practice and a way of life for many members of the community. People come to know Christ and come to Him in Bible lessons, when they themselves open the pages of the Holy Scriptures,” Zhan Petrovich states.

Thus, in response to numerous prayers and dedicated work, the Lord gave the community five baptized souls, and six more people responded to the call to prepare for baptism. The community prays that through various projects and a wellness center, people will learn about a loving God who is interested in them and wants to give a blessed life.

The original version of this story was posted on the Euro-Asia Division Russian-language news site.