Hiding Under... Tattoos
Session after session, two of my colleagues—Mihaela and Irinel, our nurse coordinators—help me schedule patients for spiritual counseling, especially those who indicate on the questionnaire at the beginning of each session in Herghelia that they would like to meet.
One day, among the guests scheduled to see me was a lady visiting Herghelia for the first time. She came with her son, whose body was covered in tattoos. I waited in my office for her, but when she didn’t arrive, I decided to go and knock on their door. A male voice answered from inside; then the door opened, and I explained to the young man why I was there. He told me his mother wasn’t in the room and politely asked what the spiritual meeting she had scheduled was about. I briefly explained, and to my surprise he said frankly, “May I come this time instead of her?”
“Sure,” I replied gladly—and what followed turned out to be the longest and most meaningful conversation I’ve had with a guest since joining the staff at Herghelia. He told me he was depressed—which I had already sensed—and that his condition was the result of choices he had made in recent months. Those choices had led to trouble, and now he was looking for a way out. We talked for a long time. He was open and genuinely engaged.
Before he left, I felt impressed to give him a Bible and the book Steps to Christ. He gladly accepted them, expressing a desire to know God better and to experience the freedom that comes from forgiveness and obedience.
“May I Please Have This Book?”
It was early morning, and I was getting ready for my second counseling appointment of the day. The guest was a young woman returning to Herghelia for the second or third time. She had grown up in a Christian home; her father is a pastor in a Protestant church in Romania. She had recently gone through a divorce, and although she put on a brave face, she was struggling with depression.
Ten minutes past our appointment time, I went to knock on her door. She answered right away, saying she would be there in a minute. Another six or seven minutes passed, and then she arrived. As she sat down in an armchair, she quickly said, “Pastor, what do you think about just reading something and praying this time?”
I realized she wasn’t ready to talk about herself or her problems. I opened my Bible, intending to read, but suddenly felt impressed to ask a few brief questions first. To my surprise, little by little she began to share more about her burdens. She was wrestling with uncertainty about forgiveness and with the fear that the Lord had abandoned or rejected her.
With my Bible on my lap, I tried to build an encouraging message for her—verse after verse. As I spoke, several passages from Steps to Christ came to mind that seemed perfectly suited to her need. Knowing that, like many Protestant believers, she might not want to hear from Ellen G. White, I asked permission to read a few lines. As expected, she replied, “No! Not from Ellen White!”
I told her I understood her reaction, but I was sorry because the passages expressed so beautifully what I hoped to share. Her curiosity seemed to awaken, and she agreed to let me read. She listened attentively, in amazement, for quite a while.
I closed with prayer, as usual. As we were about to say goodbye, I thought, I wish I could give her the book, but she might refuse it—Lord, please step in. And He did. She stood, walked toward the door, then turned back and said, “May I please have this book?”
By Pastor Iulian Condrachi,
Herghelia’s Chaplain
Newsletter XXI Summary
As we look toward a new year, our hearts hold two strong convictions at once: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev.22:20) and “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13). In a season when events feel overwhelming, we are reminded that Adventist sanitariums are “memorials for God” and “memorials for the Sabbath.”
I had the privilege of being born into a large, traditional Seventh-day Adventist family—eight children in all. From an early age, our parents instilled two core values in us: a love for God and a respect for work. Those principles have stayed with me all my life.
My time at the Herghelia Health Center was an even greater blessing than I expected. I gained insight from every department in the wellness center, and each trainee also had one-on-one time with leadership.
The training at Herghelia was excellent and genuinely inspirational—an invaluable opportunity for anyone developing or managing a sanitarium. The agenda was thoughtfully structured, each presentation purposeful, and all were led by people with real experience in health and lifestyle centers.
At the OCI International Retreat in Herghelia this May, my brother Kevin heard about the training on how to start and manage a lifestyle center “for such a time as this.” He invited me to join him. It was a difficult season for me—finances among other things—but I don’t regret the investment.
God’s plans are always better than ours, and He leads in ways we don’t expect. I first learned about Herghelia through the OCI International Retreat held there in May, where I heard about “The 21st Century Adventist Sanitarium System Accelerator.”
The course on starting and managing a health center (September 25–October 5) was an amazing opportunity to understand what it really means to live Jesus’ words: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). As part of a group of 12 trainees, we had the privilege of “seeing the unseen”—being welcomed into the “inner circle” of an organization with 30 years of experience in medical missionary work.
In my opinion, this training is essential—crucial for understanding what a Lifestyle Center is today and how it functions. First, I appreciated the complete openness and honesty of the Herghelia instructors in sharing their expertise across every line of work—wisdom gathered over 30 years of operation.
I came to Herghelia when I was 13, when my parents accepted the call to join this ministry. Many things shared in the training were familiar. What I didn’t fully appreciate—and what deeply impressed me—was the long path of challenges, trial and error, and problem-solving that led to Herghelia’s policies and procedures.
As an observer—not currently planning to start a lifestyle center—I found many of the sessions packed with practical information. I especially appreciated Dr. Guthrie’s presentations; they were very informative for the physicians, and he presented strong evidence supporting lifestyle-center approaches. It was helpful to “get into the weeds” on the day-to-day needs that arise in a Lifestyle Center.
Session after session, two of my colleagues—Mihaela and Irinel, our nurse coordinators—help me schedule patients for spiritual counseling, especially those who indicate on the questionnaire at the beginning of each session in Herghelia that they would like to meet.
HERGHELIA – URGENT NEEDS
- New Wing Project: Spring 2026 Milestone
Thanks to the generosity of our friends, we’re making strong progress on the New Wing Project. We’re working toward our Spring 2026 milestone and invite you to help us close the remaining gap.
- Total project budget: $1,500,000
- Spring 2026 milestone goal: $460,000
- Pledged to date: $300,000 (65% of the milestone)
- Balance needed by Spring 2026: $160,000
- Remaining need: $1,200,000
Give: Make tax deductible donations to: OCI earmarked Herghelia New Wing
Pray: That we’ll build wisely and on time.
By God’s grace, we’re building for impact and for the long haul. Thank you for standing with us.
2. Medical Missionary Nursing School – Reframing the Medical Missionary Training Program – $25,000
Contact person: Valentina Dan
Phone: +40-748-118-084
E-mail: valentinadan1964@yahoo.com
Make text deductible donations to:
OCI/Herghelia Projects
5132 Layton Ln, Apison, TN
37302, United States