Set amid the forests and meadows of Transylvania, Herghelia Institute is surrounded by natural beauty and serenity. This is key to the success of the lifestyle center, which ministers to more than 1,000 guests a year. Their use of the NEWSTART® program, coupled with a wide variety of natural treatments and the blessings of the Lord, has changed the lives of thousands of guests since the center opened in 1996.
Herghelia is well known in Romania for advocating a healthy lifestyle, natural remedies, and a vegetarian diet, as well as successfully treating diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity. Guests from all over Romania and surrounding countries travel to Herghelia for 11-day health sessions. The center promotes the care of the whole person. The team seeks to convey Jesus’ love for each guest through personalized care, hydrotherapy treatments, massages, medical examinations, and a therapeutic diet suited to individual needs.
Guests have many opportunities to learn more about the God who cares for them personally, and many who arrive with prejudices against the Seventh-day Adventist Church leave with a positive impression. A number of guests have also been baptized, and staff members feel privileged to be used as witnesses for Christ. At Herghelia’s school of medical evangelism, students are trained as lay medical missionaries, learning anatomy, physiology, nutrition, massage, and hydrotherapy. These practical tools open doors into the lives of countless individuals as students and faculty conduct LIGHT programs, health expos, health clubs, summer health camps, health seminars, Bible studies, public evangelistic meetings, and participate in the lifestyle center’s program. More than 300 students have graduated from the school since 1996, and many of them are serving as full-time lay missionaries.
Herghelia also runs a farm, growing organic fruits and vegetables in its many gardens and greenhouses. These provide staff, guests, and students with exceptionally healthy food, enriching their time at the ministry. Working closely with the local Seventh-day Adventist Conference and Union, Herghelia recently established the Dr. Lind K-12 School. They also put out a monthly magazine, working with the church’s publishing house and the Canvasser’s Association to reach people across Romania. Throughout Eastern Europe and the Middle East, Herghelia is committed to helping new medical mission projects through training, counseling, and practical help. For the team at Herghelia, all their work is defined and guided by one purpose: winning souls for eternity through God’s powerful grace.
