My Life and Experiences

Slawomir (Slawek) Gromadzki

SAVED BEFORE BEING BORN

Before I share my conversion story, let me begin with something extraordinary that happened even before I was born — something that, looking back now, I believe reveals the loving providence of God over my life long before I ever knew Him.

Years later, after I had become a born-again believer, my grandmother visited us and told me a story I had never heard before. What she shared touched me so deeply that I could hardly hold back my tears.

When my mother was pregnant with me, my parents were both teachers living in a small village in communist Poland. Life at that time was difficult. Money was scarce, the future uncertain, and my parents already had three daughters to support. Some of their close friends — a married couple who were physicians — encouraged them to terminate the pregnancy through abortion.

Under pressure and afraid of what the future might bring, my parents finally agreed. My mother went to the doctor, where she was taken into a room. She was lying alone on the operating table, waiting for the doctor to come and perform the abortion.

Then something very strange happened that changed everything. While lying there completely alone, she suddenly heard a loud and unmistakably clear voice saying: “Run away from here!”

She was startled and confused. She looked around, but no one was there. The room was empty. She began wondering whether she had imagined it.

But moments later she heard the same voice again, even more clearly: “Run away from here!”

This time fear came over her because she knew with certainty that no one else was in the room. Still uncertain and hesitating, she suddenly heard the voice for the third time: “Run away from here!”

Now she became truly frightened. She immediately got up, left the clinic, and never returned to have the abortion.

In this way, before I had taken my first breath, before I had prayed my first prayer, God had already intervened and mercifully saved my life.

When my grandmother finished telling me this story, I was deeply moved. I went alone into my room, and with tears in my eyes I thanked the loving and merciful God who had saved my life before I was even born.

Looking back now, I cannot help seeing the hand of divine providence in all of it. The same God who protected my life in my mother’s womb was the God who many years later answered my desperate prayer in that empty cathedral, guided The Great Controversy into my hands, and led me to Jesus Christ as my Saviour.

MY CHILDHOOD

I was born on Friday, 26 May (Mother’s Day in Poland) in 1961, and my conversion took place in the spring of 1983, during the time when Poland was still under communism.

My Parents worked as teachers and lived in a primary school in the village of Brzozowa, not far from Lyse and Ostroleka. When I was born, they already had three daughters, Basia, 6, Bogusia, 4 and Sabina, 2.

My mother told me that when I was three years old, my babysitter didn’t notice I got close to the open window on the first floor, and probably when I saw a bird flying, I thought I could do the same, so I jumped out of the window. But since I couldn’t fly, I fell down to the ground. Thank God I landed on the grass or sand and nothing serious happened. The only side effect was that I slept for almost 24 hours.

Strangely, I don’t remember anything from my early childhood until about seven, when I started attending the first class of primary school. One year earlier, my parents decided to move from Brzozowa to another small village, Hejdyk, in the Mazury region and again we lived in a primary school where my father was director.

I was a crybaby and extremely shy. I was afraid to say thank you or excuse me. And for unknown reasons, I cried when I saw a physician or a Catholic priest, and when a girl touched me.

At the age of 6, I fell in love for the first time with a beautiful blond girl of the same age, by the name of Halina Dzewejko.

I also often tried to force my sisters to play with me, and when they refused, I cried and went to my mum to complain about them.

My father was a member of the Communist Party, and that was probably the key reason why he was a school director and why we were the only family in the village who had a TV. And every weekend the people from the village came to us and watched a favourite series, “Czeterej pancerni i pies” or “Stawka wieksza niz zycie”, in a classroom.

My father was also the first to have a car. It was a Syrena 105. And when he brought it the entire village came to see it.

The first evening my father took us for a short ride, but since he was a bit drunk and it was already dark, we landed in a ditch, and he had to go to the nearest PGR (a communist farm) and ask the director to pull us out of the ditch with a tractor.

When I was about 9, we moved again. This time to Pisz, a town in Mazury and this time we lived in a block of flats on Fabryczna Street.

ACCIDENT THAT ALMOST COST ME MY LIFE

In 1976, when I was 16 years old, while I was in my first year of secondary school (liceum) in Pisz, I had a terrible accident that almost cost me my life.

One day, while playing football with my colleagues, I decided to perform a gymnastic exercise known in Polish as wymyk, swinging my body up and over the crossbar of a handball goal. Although the goal was relatively small, it was made of heavy steel. Just as my legs were above the crossbar, the whole goal suddenly moved. I fell backwards onto the ground, and the heavy steel crossbar came crashing down onto my face, striking me repeatedly as the goal moved.

The injuries were horrific. My nose and the left side of my face were crushed, and my upper front teeth were broken. I briefly lost consciousness and was taken to hospital.

I will never forget that first night. The pain was almost unbearable. My whole head felt as though it was on fire, and I genuinely thought I was dying. The fractures to my facial bones were so severe that they were never properly repaired, leaving my nose and the left side of my face permanently deformed.

I spent months in hospitals. But the physical pain was only part of my suffering. What hurt me perhaps even more was the change in my appearance. I was so ashamed of it that I wished I could remain in hospital for the rest of my life. I was terrified of returning to school and facing people who remembered how I had looked before the accident.

The reactions of my family and friends made it even harder. My father, my sisters and many of my friends who visited me in hospital could not hold back their tears when they saw my face.

I particularly remember the words of one of my aunts, a simple farmer’s wife who always spoke her mind. When she saw me, she exclaimed, “What have you done to yourself? You were such a beautiful young man!”

My mother was in America at the time. When she returned and saw me, she did not even recognise her own son. When someone told her that it was me, she cried.

Nevertheless, I eventually had to return to school. It was extremely difficult to face the looks of those who had known me before the accident. I could not help wondering what they were thinking when they saw my changed face.  But somehow, I managed to endure it and gradually return to normal life, although the accident and my careless nature had forced me to repeat my first year of secondary school.

Before the accident, I was a very good-looking teenager, and sometimes girls would even turn around to look at me again. I enjoyed admiring myself in the mirror and was becoming increasingly proud of my appearance. Looking back, I realise that I was in danger of developing what I would call Lucifer’s syndrome—the same pride in personal beauty that contributed to Lucifer’s fall (Ezekiel 28:17).

 

After becoming a Christian, I even thanked God for that accident. What once seemed like the greatest tragedy of my young life eventually turned out to be a blessing for my spiritual growth.

The accident also taught me how fragile human life is and how suddenly everything can change. None of us can be certain that we will still be alive tomorrow, or even by the end of today.

Without that accident, I am not sure I would have looked for God’s help and accepted the truth God revealed to me later on through the book Great Controversy and that I would be born again.

Looking back, I thank God for sparing my life and for bringing something good out of such a painful experience.

MY LIFE BEFORE CONVERSION

The beginnings of my conversion go back to the time when I was studying at the Dental Technical College in Olsztyn. At that time, my life revolved mainly around sports, parties, alcohol, smoking, and sex. I was careless, selfish, spiritually empty, and foolish. School meant little more to me than somehow passing the final exams, which, fortunately, I managed to do.

At that same school I met a girl who stayed with me for some time, but eventually she told me she had had enough. She said that I had always been selfish toward her and that she was afraid to continue the relationship because of my drinking and reckless lifestyle. Also, my smoking bothered her because she had a very sensitive sense of smell.

Before that, I thought I did not really care that much about her. But when she left me, I suddenly realised how much she meant to me. I fell deeply in love with her and began to suffer terribly because of the separation.

So I decided to change my life.

I promised myself that I would stop drinking, stop smoking, and become a better person. But every attempt ended in failure. In fact, the more I tried to change, the worse things seemed to become. My willpower was simply pathetic. I remember drinking with various friends almost every day for nearly an entire week. One of them, after one of those drinking parties, was hit by a car and killed. I myself could easily have lost my life many times while returning home so drunk that I kept falling down, sometimes right in the middle of the street.

I became devastated and deeply discouraged. Yet the very depth into which I had fallen helped me understand something important: I was trying to accomplish something that had become impossible for me through my own strength. For the first time in my life, I realised that if I was ever going to change, I needed help from outside myself.

SEARCHING FOR HELP

At one point I even tried to participate in a spiritist séance, hoping perhaps to find some kind of supernatural help. Although religion had never played any meaningful role in my life, I eventually decided to travel with my best friend, Wojtek, to Częstochowa to search for hope there.

Wojtek and I were in almost exactly the same situation, because his girlfriend had also left him. I still remember how, during the train journey to Częstochowa, we smeared the train door handles with lard and laughed as people unknowingly touched them. Eventually, even the conductor touched one of the greasy handles and immediately realised who was responsible because we could hardly stop laughing.

Finally, we arrived at Jasna Góra monastery, hoping that perhaps something in our lives would finally change. There were huge crowds of people there because of a religious celebration. I remember being pushed forward by the crowd until I found myself standing only a few meters from the famous painting of the Black Madonna. With tears in my eyes, I silently begged for help, for change, and for freedom from my addictions.

But after returning home, nothing changed. In fact, things became even worse. I continued struggling, trying again and again to change myself, but every attempt ended in failure. Eventually I concluded that I had been searching for help in the wrong place, but at that time I had no idea where true help could be found.

Time passed, and I remained the same bitter, empty, and enslaved person. I was discouraged, depressed, and tired of life.

THE FIRST SINCERE, HEARTFELT PRAYER

Then one day, while walking through Olsztyn, I passed a large Catholic cathedral and felt impressed to go inside. The cathedral was completely empty. I sat down quietly in one of the pews and began thinking seriously about my life. For the first time, I asked myself whether Someone like God might actually exist — and if He did, what He was really like and whether He could possibly be interested in helping someone like me.

Up until that moment, I knew practically nothing about God. My father was an atheist and a member of the communist party, and because of his influence, religion had no real place in our home. My mother was probably Catholic, but living with an unbelieving husband, she never really practised religion and never spoke to me about God.

Only once did my grandmother force me to prepare for First Communion when I was already 18 years old. I remember the priest giving me a religious book which seemed impossible for me to understand, taking money from my grandmother, and then, after a short preparation, I received Communion. But obviously it couldn’t change my life, and afterwards I continued to keep my distance from religion.

Now, however, sitting alone in that empty cathedral, deeply aware that my life was heading toward destruction if nothing changed, I thought to myself that I had nothing to lose by giving God a chance.

So I knelt down and prayed.

It was the first honest, heartfelt prayer in my life. Although I was not even sure that God existed, with tears in my eyes, I confessed my sins and begged Him to help me, change me, and free me from my addictions.

I do not think I had ever been so deeply moved before in my life. Even now, when I write about it, emotion still comes to my eyes.

And then something happened that I can never forget.

While pouring out my heart during that first real prayer, I suddenly felt a strange peace come over me — a peace unlike anything I had ever experienced before. It felt as if Someone wanted to assure me that my prayer had been heard, that help was already on the way, and that my life would finally change.

At that time I did not fully understand what was happening, but deep inside I knew that something had already begun to change within me.

THE BOOK THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

I did not have to wait long for an answer to that prayer. About a week later, my friend Wojtek noticed a man selling religious books outside a department store. He bought two copies of The Great Controversy by Ellen G. White — one for himself and one for me.

I later discovered that the man must have been Brother Zdzisław Boguń, a devoted SD Adventist, colporteur and later Pastor, who worked as a literature evangelist in that area and was often seen selling religious books outside the same department store.

Some time later, shortly before joining the army, I saw the same Brother Boguń there myself and bought several books and copies of Znaki Czasu, an Adventist magazine. I could see how happy he was, but being rather shy and quiet, he did not start a conversation, so I left without getting to know him.

Years later, however, I had the wonderful privilege of getting to know Brother Boguń personally and spending some time with him in Vilnius, Lithuania. He has been a truly remarkable Christian — humble, warm-hearted and blessed with a wonderful sense of humour. I always enjoyed his company, but what impressed me most was that I could genuinely sense the presence of Christ in his heart. He became one of my favourite Christians I have ever met, and I will always remember him with great affection.

Poland is a predominantly Catholic country. At that time there were only about five thousand Seventh-day Adventists in the entire country, compared with millions of Catholics and hundreds of thousands of Evangelical Christians and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Yet after that first sincere and agonising prayer, God did not place into my hands a book written by a Catholic author, a Jehovah’s Witness author, or an Evangelical preacher. Instead, He gave me a book written by an Adventist woman named Ellen White.

When Wojtek brought the book to our dormitory and handed it to me, I initially assumed it was some kind of novel because of its title. But soon I discovered that it dealt with religious and biblical themes.

Since I had never before read an entire book in my life and was not accustomed to reading anything besides sports newspapers, reading it went very slowly at first. The first half dealt mainly with the history of Christianity and the Protestant Reformation. Through that book, I finally learned who men like Jan Hus and Martin Luther really were. Earlier I had associated Luther with something negative, but now I was deeply moved, especially while reading about Hus being burned at the stake.

Those first chapters interested me, but I still read them slowly, and it probably took me several months to get through them. But when I reached the later chapters dealing with the amazing fulfilment of Bible prophecies, the origin of evil, spiritism, the change of God’s commandments, Sabbath, the second coming of Christ, the gift of salvation, and the new life in heaven and earth, I became very excited. I became so fascinated that I read the rest of the book in a single night and finished in the morning.

I was overwhelmed by what I discovered. At the same time, I felt as though the Holy Spirit was inwardly assuring me that everything I was reading was true. I had never experienced anything like that before. I could not understand how it was possible that nobody had ever told me about these things.

When I discovered that the Bible, in the second chapter of Daniel, had foretold the rise and fall of world kingdoms and the future return of Christ; when I realised that human beings had dared to change God’s commandments; when I learned about the wonderful new life God offers to those who believe in His Son; and when I became convinced that God truly existed, loved me, and had answered my desperate prayer — I felt as though I had discovered an incredible treasure.

BORN AGAIN

Immediately I bought a Bible. I began studying it and praying every day, carefully checking whether the Bible really taught the things I had read in The Great Controversy. The more I studied, the more convinced I became that I had found the truth.

Through this experience, which led me to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my only Saviour, I was born again by the Spirit of God.

My desires changed completely. My goals changed. Suddenly life had meaning and purpose. As Leo Tolstoy once wrote, “I ceased desiring what I had previously desired, and began desiring what I had never desired before.” That perfectly describes what happened in my own life.

Soon afterwards, I stopped drinking and smoking completely. Surprisingly, smoking was even harder for me to overcome than alcohol. For about two weeks, I kept dreaming that I was smoking Marlboro cigarettes again. Those dreams were so vivid that each time I woke up, I was discouraged, convinced that I had really started smoking again.

But God gave me strength to overcome those powerful cravings and temptations. What I could never achieve through my own weak willpower, I was finally able to overcome through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

From that time until today, I have never drunk alcohol or smoked cigarettes again — and, most importantly, I have never even desired to return to those habits.

I believe this happened because God caused me to be born again and, through the Holy Spirit, gave me victory that I could never have achieved through my own efforts.

DISCOVERING THE TRUTH

Immediately after returning home, I bought a Bible. I began studying it and praying every day, carefully checking whether the Bible really taught the things I had read in The Great Controversy. The more I studied, the more convinced I became that I had found the truth.

Through this experience, which led me to faith in Jesus Christ as my only Saviour, I was born again by the Spirit of God.

My desires changed completely. My goals changed. Life suddenly had meaning and purpose. As Leo Tolstoy once wrote: “I ceased desiring what I had previously desired, and began desiring what I had never desired before.” That perfectly describes what happened in my own life.

It took me some time to stop drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes completely, but even though I got drunk again, everything I talked about with my colleagues was the wonderful truth I found. But eventually, after some time, I stopped drinking and never started again for over 40 years.

Surprisingly, smoking was even more difficult for me to quit than drinking. For two weeks, I dreamed almost every night about smoking Marlboro cigarettes, and each time I woke up discouraged because the dreams were so vivid that I was convinced I had started smoking again.

But God gave me strength to overcome those powerful cravings and temptations. What I had never been able to achieve through my own willpower, I was able to overcome through the power of the Holy Spirit.

From that time until today, I have never returned to alcohol or cigarettes.

I also felt a strong desire to share what I had discovered with others, fully convinced that they would be just as excited as I was because the truth seemed so clear and wonderful. Wojtek was also reading the same book and felt the same excitement.

But I was shocked to discover that almost none of my friends were interested. My life changed so dramatically that even my family became worried about me. My own sister, who was a dentist, once begged me with tears in her eyes to go with her to a psychiatrist because she sincerely believed that something had gone wrong with my mind.

LEAVING MY FUTURE IN GOD’S HANDS

Years later, when I received my call-up papers for compulsory military service in communist Poland, I wanted to avoid going into the army. I was told how bad military life could be, particularly for recruits.

Because of the serious injuries I had suffered in my accident, I decided to appeal against being enlisted on medical grounds. I appeared before a military medical commission responsible for examining my condition and deciding whether I was fit for military service.

Later, I learned something rather surprising. Apparently, the commission had been considering two cases: mine and that of my neighbour, Zbyszek Maciejewski, who was also seeking exemption on medical grounds. And I was told that only one of us was going to be exempted.

By that time, however, I had already experienced my conversion and was learning what it meant to trust God rather than insist on my own way.

When I heard about the situation, I decided to pray. But instead of asking God to keep me out of the army, as I naturally wanted, I asked Him to decide according to His will, not mine. I told the Lord that although I was afraid of military service and knew how difficult it could be, I was willing to go if that was what He wanted for me.

In the end, I was declared fit for military service and was drafted into the army.

At the time, I could not understand why God had allowed this to happen. But later, when I looked back on that difficult time, I began to see reasons to be grateful that things had turned out differently from what I had hoped.

THE DIFFICULT LESSONS OF MILITARY LIFE

When the time came to begin our military service, my friend Wojtek and I were sent to different parts of Poland. I was stationed in Szczecin, while Wojtek was sent to Gołdap, his hometown.

At that time, military service in communist Poland was compulsory and normally lasted two years. The first six months were the most difficult, not only because of strict military discipline, but especially because of a cruel, unofficial system known in Polish as fala.

Under this system, soldiers who had already served longer considered themselves superior to recruits and often made their lives miserable. They forced newcomers to perform unpleasant tasks, humiliated and bullied them, and sometimes subjected them to physical abuse. The new soldiers, known as koty (cats), were expected to obey these longer-serving conscripts, even though they had no official authority over them. Unfortunately, such treatment was widespread, and officers turned a blind eye to it.

For young men who were emotionally vulnerable or found it difficult to cope with such pressure, those first months could become almost unbearable. Some suffered severe psychological distress, and tragically, there were also cases of suicide.

I found military life extremely difficult myself. At times, I felt as though I were living in a prison combined with a psychiatric hospital. The lack of freedom, frequent humiliation, unreasonable demands and behaviour of some of the soldiers made life miserable.

But there was something that helped me greatly during those difficult months. Reading God’s Word gave me strength, comfort and hope when everything around me seemed so depressing. It reminded me that although I had very little control over my circumstances, God had not abandoned me.

Looking back, I believe that God used this painful experience to teach me further lessons in humility, patience and dependence upon Him. My natural pride and ego had not disappeared simply because I had become a Christian. There was still much in my character that needed to change.

FAMILY PRESSURE LED WOJTEK TO ABANDON HIS NEWFOUND FAITH

When I first discovered the wonderful truths of the gospel, my close friend Wojtek initially accepted them together with me. I was so happy that we could share our newfound faith and hoped that we would continue following Christ together.

We both returned home to share our discoveries with our families. We were excited about what we had learned and naturally hoped that our loved ones would share our joy. Unfortunately, instead of encouragement and support, we encountered strong opposition. Our families tried to persuade us to abandon our newfound faith and return to our previous beliefs.

Despite the pressure, I remained determined to follow the truth I had discovered in the Bible. Sadly, Wojtek eventually gave in to the pressure from his parents and decided to turn away from the faith we had initially accepted together.

I pleaded with him for a long time not to give up. I wanted him to experience the same joy, peace and assurance of God’s love that I had found in Jesus Christ. But he no longer wanted to discuss the Bible or the wonderful truths we had discovered together. It was deeply disappointing to see my friend turn away from something that had once meant so much to both of us.

A LETTER I WISH I HAD ANSWERED SOONER

After we had both joined the army, Wojtek wrote me a letter. For some reason, I did not reply immediately. Perhaps I failed to recognise that he might have been reconsidering his earlier decision or regretting his rejection of the truth we had once embraced together. I cannot be certain, but looking back, I wish I had responded sooner.

When I finally wrote back, I received a strange reply from his military unit instead of a personal letter from him. The response came after a long time, and as far as I remember, the message simply indicated that Wojtek was no longer available. I found it puzzling, but at the time I had no idea what had happened.

Only sometime later did I learn the terrible truth. A friend who had studied with us at the same school told me that Wojtek had taken his own life on 6 June 1984.

The news was devastating. It was one of the most painful experiences of my life, especially because of what had happened between us before we joined the army. I could not help wondering whether his final letter had contained something important that I had failed to recognise. Had he been struggling with loneliness, doubts or regret? Had he wanted to renew our friendship or speak again about the faith we had once shared? I will never know.

I sometimes wondered whether things might have been different if he had continued trusting God. But I also knew how terribly difficult those first months in the army could be, because I was experiencing them myself.

MY SABBATH EXPERIENCE IN THE ARMY

In Poland, even while the country was still under communist rule, Roman Catholicism remained strong, especially because of the influence of Pope John Paul II. It was therefore very easy to have Sundays free, as even the communists generally did not work on that day. However, keeping the Sabbath was a completely different matter.

On another occasion, a large group of recruits was expected to arrive at our military unit. I had been given the main responsibility for receiving and registering them, writing down their names and providing them with the necessary instructions.

And guess on which day they were supposed to arrive?

On the Sabbath!

By that time, I was fully convinced of the importance of keeping the seventh-day Sabbath holy, so I decided that I would not knowingly break the fourth commandment.

Since I was not yet a baptised Seventh-day Adventist, I could not even use my church membership as a reason for refusing to work. But even if I had been a member, it would probably not have helped. I knew of an Adventist soldier who had spent a long time in military prison simply because he refused to perform his duties on the Sabbath.

This time, unlike my earlier encounter with the communist major, my heart began to beat faster as I thought about the possibility of being arrested and sent to military prison.

But I prayed and made my decision. Whatever the consequences, I would not leave our large sleeping quarters to carry out my assigned duties on Sabbath morning.

About twenty soldiers normally slept in that room, but on that particular Sabbath morning, I was the only one left. Everyone else had already gone to perform their duties.

I spent the day praying and reading my Bible. Satan kept tempting me with fearful thoughts about what might happen when my absence was discovered. But God gave me enough courage to remain where I was.

And guess what happened? To this day, I believe it was a miracle! Although I was supposed to be the main person responsible for receiving the new recruits, it seemed as though everyone in the entire military unit had completely forgotten about me! It was almost as if God had temporarily erased me from their memories.

Throughout the entire Sabbath, nobody called for me, nobody came looking for me, and nobody even seemed to notice that I was missing.

Then, immediately after sunset, I suddenly heard a loud voice coming from the corridor: “Private Gromadzki, report to the commanding officer!”

The moment I heard those words, my heart seemed to jump from my chest into my throat! I thought, “Well, now I am in serious trouble! If the commanding officer himself is calling me, I will certainly be severely punished for disobeying orders.”

Yet, at the same time, I felt a wonderful sense of relief. The Sabbath was over, and I had managed to keep it holy despite all my fears. I thanked God and thought, “Whatever happens now is in His hands.”

When I entered the commanding officer’s office and reported to him, something else remarkable happened.

He looked at me with a stern expression, as though he was angry and about to give me a severe reprimand. I was certain that someone had reported my absence and that he was going to punish me.

But, strangely enough, instead of questioning me, rebuking me or punishing me, he simply ordered me, in a stern voice, to go into another room and prepare some drawings on a military training map.

I quietly went to the other room, breathed a huge sigh of relief, and for the first time that day I smiled. With great joy I thanked God for that miracle and for sparing me from punishment.

READ MORE ABOUT IT IN “SABBATH VS SUNDAY”

THE REMARKABLE CONVERSION OF ALBERT — A TROUBLESOME SOLDIER

During my two years of military service in Poland, I tried to share with other soldiers the wonderful truths I had discovered in the Bible, especially the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Most showed little interest, but one soldier, named Albert, was different.

Albert was one of the most troublesome soldiers in our military unit. He frequently got drunk, broke military regulations and sometimes escaped from the barracks by climbing over the wall.

I remember one particularly extraordinary incident. One day, after getting drunk, Albert climbed over the barracks wall and escaped from the military unit. He then somehow managed to climb up the outside of a nearby hotel, enter a room through an open window and sleep there until the following morning!

That was the kind of person Albert was when I first knew him. Yet, despite his behaviour, he began listening when I spoke to him about God and the Bible. Gradually, he became more interested and eventually accepted the wonderful truth of salvation through Jesus Christ.

What happened next was truly remarkable. Albert experienced a genuine new birth, just as I had experienced earlier in my own life. His priorities and behaviour changed completely. He gave up drinking and never got drunk again. The soldier who had once caused so much trouble became a different person.

After completing his military service, Albert returned to Olsztyn, where I was also living at that time. Before I moved to Podkowa Lesna, we met regularly to pray, study the Bible and encourage one another in our Christian faith. He began attending the Seventh-day Adventist Church and was eventually baptised.

THE MIRACLE OF A BADLY MADE DENTURE THAT FIT PERFECTLY

This remarkable experience took place in spring 1987, when Poland was still under communist rule.

After completing my military service, I returned from Szczecin to my hometown of Olsztyn, where I stayed at my parents’ house. Although I was a qualified dental technician, initially, I could not find a job in my profession, so I began working as a hospital assistant, helping nurses, cleaning and doing other duties.

After about six months, I finally found employment as a dental technician. Another six months later, an unexpected opportunity came my way. One of my colleagues had been making dentures privately for a dentist, but he lost the work because he liked alcohol. A few times, he failed to complete dentures on time.

Fortunately, the dentist’s husband was a physician at the hospital where I had previously worked. He remembered me and recommended me to his wife as her dental technician. This was a wonderful opportunity because, under communism, making dentures privately could earn me about five to ten times more than doing the same work in my regular state-employed job. So, suddenly, I was earning a lot of money!

About six or seven months after I joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a large Adventist singing group Dźwięk Adwentu was coming to Olsztyn to give a public concert. I was very excited and spent much of my free time distributing invitations.

The concert was not very successful because it took place in an amphitheatre, and the weather was not very good. As a result, apart from members of the local Seventh-day Adventist Church, very few people attended. However, the good Lord blessed me with an extraordinary experience.

Unfortunately, at the same time, my new private dentist gave me a very expensive and complicated denture to make. Because I was so busy inviting people to the concert, I left myself too little time to finish it properly.

I rushed the work, and when I finally placed the finished denture on the plaster model of the patient’s lower jaw, I was horrified! The denture had shrunk and was far too small. It simply would not fit the model! I felt terribly discouraged. I was almost certain that I would lose my private work, just as the previous technician had lost his.

But the denture had to be delivered, and there was no time to make another one. On the bus to the dentist’s home, I prayed, but my prayer was full of fear and disappointment. Deep in my heart, I felt like asking, “Lord, why didn’t You help me make this denture properly? After all, I was so busy doing Your work, inviting people to hear the good news!”

When I arrived, I handed the denture to the dentist and left as quickly as possible. I didn’t want to witness her disappointment when she discovered that it wouldn’t fit her patient’s mouth. That night, I could hardly sleep.

Unfortunately, the following day I had to visit her again to deliver another, smaller job. Once more, I prayed on my way there, but without much faith. I was expecting to hear some very unpleasant words. With my heart beating fast, I knocked on the dentist’s door.

But when she opened it, instead of looking disappointed or angry, she was smiling and seemed very excited!

“Mr Sławek!” she exclaimed. (In Poland, we normally address people who are not close friends as Mr. or Mrs., followed by their first name.) So, she said, “Mr Sławek! How have you done it? How is this possible? I simply don’t understand!”

“On the plaster model, the denture doesn’t fit at all! It has shrunk and is much too small. But when I put it into the patient’s mouth, it fitted perfectly! I didn’t even have to correct anything! It looks perfect! How is that possible? What have you done to make it fit?”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing! Suddenly, all my fear and disappointment turned into joy and relief. I knew how badly I had made that denture, and I certainly couldn’t take any credit for what had happened. So when she asked what I had done to make that bad denture fit so perfectly, I simply smiled and replied: “Well, I just prayed a little.”

I wanted her to understand that Someone else had made it possible. When I said that, I noticed she was impressed. For a moment, she didn’t seem to know what to say.

Later, as I thought about this miracle, I couldn’t help wondering how the Lord had managed to make that badly shrunken denture fit so perfectly in the patient’s mouth. Since He had not increased the size of the denture, perhaps He had somehow reduced the size of the patient’s gums and remaining teeth to make it fit. I don’t know exactly what happened, but one thing I am certain of: God can accomplish things in ways that are far beyond our understanding and imagination.

I continued working for that dentist for about another six months. However, I increasingly felt that God was calling me to give up my well-paid work and move to Podkowa Lesna near Warsaw to study at the Seventh-day Adventist theological seminary.

But before leaving, I gave the dentist and her husband three books by Ellen G. White: The Desire of Ages, The Great Controversy and Steps to Christ. I also prayed for them. I had heard that her husband was an atheist, although he had always liked me and appreciated my work at the hospital. His wife, however, had now witnessed something she could not explain. So, I don’t know whether they ever read those books or eventually accepted Jesus. But I hope that this remarkable experience encouraged them to think more seriously about God.

Looking back, what amazes me most is that God seemed to answer my prayers despite my lack of faith. The denture was badly made, my faith was weak, and my prayer was full of fear, discouragement and disappointment. Yet there is Someone who says I have loved you with an everlasting love, and the one who comes to me I will never cast away, and He had mercy on me and performed a miracle—not only to help me, but perhaps also to impress that dentist and her atheist husband and possibly inspire them to read and to reveal to them the same truth that impressed me so much.

CALL TO STUDY AT THE SEMINARY SCHOOL

I worked as a dental technician for about one year, from spring of 1986 (my baptism) until spring of 1987 when I started to feel a strong impression that God was calling me to quit that very profitable job as a dental technician and move to the Adventist Seminary School in Podkowa Lesna near Warsaw, so I decided to accept the call, and it was also my desire because I loved the truth I found in the Word of God and wanted to spend more time studying the Bible and serving the Lord.

But the enemy didn’t seem to like that idea because I could feel that when my parents realised what I wanted to do, they did everything to make me change my mind.  But I was determined, and nothing could change my mind.

To make it easier for my parents to accept my decision, the Lord inspired me to start studying English for the first year at the seminary school, as it was the first year they started the English course there. Unfortunately, it didn’t change my parents’ attitude, and when my father realised I wouldn’t change my decision, he disinherited me, and I was no longer allowed to return home.

I also knew that my parents would not support me financially if I went to the seminary school, but the Good Lord gave me a very good job, so for a few months I could save some money. In addition, one day I found a large amount of money in a wardrobe between my clothes (it was enough to pay in advance for a one-year stay at the seminary school). To me, it was another miracle because it wasn’t my money, and my parents would never do that. So I praised the good Lord for that unexpected provision.

I was very disappointed in my family and crossed with them, especially my father, because I thought they should be happy that my life changed so much that I quit smoking and drinking, became a better person and decided to study at the seminary school. But it helped me to understand them better when my mother later told me that she saw only two times my father crying. The first time he cried was when I was born, and the second was when I left for the seminary school.

ENGLISH COURSE AT THE ADVENTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

After the summer of 1987, I left my hometown of Olsztyn and moved to Podkowa Leśna, near Warsaw, to study at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary.

I believe the Lord inspired me to begin by studying English rather than theology. At that time, I did not understand why I had made that choice, but two years later, the Lord led me to America, where He revealed to me a wonderful biblical truth that was unknown in Poland at that time.

Thanks to God’s providence, I had enough money to pay for my accommodation and meals for the entire year in advance. I shared a room with Paweł Gredecki and Jurek Rybicki, who had also come to study English. I also had enough free time to attend Old Testament classes taught by Pastor Henryk Patriarcha, which we all greatly enjoyed.

SELLING CHRISTIAN BOOKS TO SUPPORT MY STUDIES

Since my parents were unwilling to support my studies financially, I began thinking about finding a part-time job to earn some money for my personal needs.

After some time, I discovered that I could earn money by selling Bibles and Christian books published by the Adventist publishing house Znaki Czasu (Signs of the Times).

I started doing this about six or seven months after beginning my English course. I travelled to Warsaw and nearby towns, such as Grodzisk Mazowiecki, where I would set up a small bookstall.

I bought a small folding table and a large backpack to carry my books. After finding a suitable place, I would unfold the table and arrange Bibles, books (mostly written by Ellen G. White), copies of the Polish Adventist magazine Znaki Czasu, and a few books about health.

From time to time, people passing by would stop to look at the books, and some would buy them. But what I enjoyed most was the opportunity to talk with people about God. I could share my own conversion experience and tell them about the wonderful things the Lord had done in my life.

This work became a great blessing and a source of joy for me. Not only did it help me support myself financially, but, more importantly, it gave me the wonderful opportunity to share the truth of the Gospel with others.

HEALING AFTER EATING WATERMELON

One day, after selling Christian books in Warsaw, I became hungry and decided to eat one of my favourite fruits — watermelon.

However, when I returned to Podkowa Leśna, got off the train and started walking towards the seminary, I suddenly felt terrible stomach cramps and an urgent need to go to the toilet. I became frightened because I felt that I was about to have a very embarrassing accident!

I stopped walking, desperately trying to control myself. There were people all around me, and I had no idea how I would make it back to the school. So I began to pray:

“Lord, please help me! There are people everywhere! What am I going to do? How will I get back to school? If I have an accident here, everybody will be laughing at me for the whole year!”

Then I noticed an elderly woman sitting on a bench not far away. She looked very sad and lonely. Although I was still struggling with the terrible pressure, I quickly prayed again:

“Lord, if You heal me and take this diarrhoea away, I promise I will go to that woman and tell her about Your love.”

And believe it or not, the terrible pressure suddenly disappeared in a split second — just like that! Can you imagine what an incredible relief that was? I was so happy and thankful to God!

Now I had to keep my promise. Although I am naturally quite shy, I went over to the woman, sat beside her and began a conversation.

I soon discovered why she looked so sad. Her beloved son had died recently, and she was still grieving. What a wonderful opportunity God had given me to tell her about His love, the hope of salvation and the promise of the resurrection!

As we talked, she seemed to become much happier and more peaceful. Before leaving, I gave her a little book by Ellen G. White entitled Steps to Christ, hoping it would bring her further comfort and encouragement.

Looking back, I am amazed at how God turned such a frightening and embarrassing situation into a wonderful opportunity to share His love with someone who desperately needed comfort and hope.

God loved that woman and wanted to comfort her, so He used my embarrassing problem to bring us together! He knew that I was naturally too shy to approach a stranger and start a conversation about Him. So He gave me a powerful motivation! By answering my desperate prayer, He encouraged me to overcome my shyness and keep my promise. What seemed like a terrible problem turned out to be a wonderful blessing, not only for me but also for that lonely woman.

In that wonderful little book, Steps to Christ, the woman could find comfort and encouragement in beautiful passages such as this one:

“He who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the wants of His children. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds; He rules over all the affairs of the universe. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel. No calamity can befall the least of His children, no anxiety harass the soul, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest.” — Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 100.

And even when our prayers are not answered immediately, or in the way we expect, we can be sure that our loving heavenly Father hears every prayer, understands our sorrows and knows what is best for us.

MARK FINLEY’S FIRST EVANGELISTIC CAMPAIGN IN POLAND

In 1987, during the first year of my English course, when Poland was experiencing workers’ strikes and the growing influence of the Solidarity movement, evangelist Mark Finley and Dr Walter Thompson launched a massive evangelistic campaign in Gdańsk entitled “New Life” (Nowe Życie).

The event was widely advertised throughout the city with countless colourful posters and leaflets. Every evening for an entire month, thousands of people crowded into a local cinema to listen to the Bible messages. The cinema was so packed that many people could not get inside. Some were even crying and begging to be allowed in.

Over the course of the campaign, more than 7,000 people attended the meetings, resulting in 120 people deciding to be baptised.

During the campaign, Mark Finley and his translator, Pastor Roman Halupka, received an invitation through intermediaries to meet Lech Wałęsa, the famous leader of the Solidarity movement. However, Finley wanted his mission to remain strictly spiritual and free from political involvement. After praying about the invitation, he politely declined the private meeting. Instead, he invited Wałęsa to attend one of the public Bible seminars. Unfortunately, Wałęsa never came.

CONVERSION OF JACEK JAWORSKI

My friend Jacek Jaworski, in whose house I later stayed for about a year in 1988–1989, after completing my English course, was among those baptised during that first evangelistic campaign in Gdańsk.

He also played an important role in exposing one of the terrible crimes committed by Poland’s communist regime. In 1982, he and two fellow mountaineers gathered crucial information about the killing of nine striking miners at the Wujek coal mine. Their report later helped bring those responsible to justice. In recognition of his courage and contribution to Poland’s freedom, he was awarded the prestigious Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by President Andrzej Duda in January 2017.

He was a Catholic and a sincere believer in God, praying frequently. For some time, he had been subconsciously looking for the truth and felt that he should give a tithe of his income to God. He had been thinking seriously about it but was unsure where or to whom he should give the money.

One day, while walking through Gdańsk, he happened to pass the cinema where Mark Finley was holding his Bible seminars. Out of curiosity, he decided to go inside and listen. Although it was still very difficult, somehow he managed to get in.

And guess what the subject was that very evening? Tithing!

Jacek was astonished! He believed that God Himself had guided him to that particular place at exactly the right time.

He was so impressed that he continued attending the remaining meetings and learning more and more about the truth he was looking for. By the end of the campaign, he was convinced of the biblical message and wanted to be baptised immediately.

However, because he had joined the meetings so late, the organisers told him that he could not be baptised yet. He first needed to complete a course of Bible studies to prepare for baptism.

But Jacek was determined! Somehow, he managed to take a baptismal robe without permission and joined the other candidates. And he was baptised together with the group of 120 other people!

After so many years, Jacek is still active (2026). Here is evidence (VIDEOLINK 1) (VIDEOLINK 2)

Read a full article about Jacek Jaworski HERE.

TAKING CARE OF AN ALCOHOLIC

In 1988, a year after his first successful evangelistic campaign in Gdańsk, Pastor Mark Finley returned to Poland to conduct another Bible seminar. This time, the meetings were held in a large tent, but because the campaign was not as widely advertised as the previous one, attendance was much smaller.

I was then in my second year at the Seventh-day Adventist Seminary in Podkowa Leśna. After studying English during my first year, I had begun studying theology. A few months later, we were invited to help with Pastor Finley’s evangelistic campaign.

Every morning, Pastor Finley conducted Bible studies for Adventist church members and seminary students. In the evenings, he preached in the tent. During the afternoons, we went into the city to share the gospel. I usually set up my folding table in central Gdańsk, selling Christian books and Signs of the Times magazines while inviting people to the evening meetings.

One afternoon, a man of about 40 approached my table. His name was Tadeusz, and he told me he was a hopeless alcoholic. For the past five years, he had been drinking every day, sometimes even consuming denatured alcohol filtered through bread. His appearance showed how terribly alcohol had damaged his life.

When I told him that I had also struggled with addiction and shared how God had changed my life, tears filled his eyes. He began begging me to help him stop drinking and start a new life.

I felt deeply sorry for him. I also believed the Holy Spirit was prompting me to do more than simply pray with him or give him Christian literature. This man needed practical help, love and someone who believed he could change.

I bought him something to eat and invited him to Pastor Finley’s evening meeting.

Two of my former colleagues from the hospital in Olsztyn had also been invited, and one of them attended. I remember her telling me that Tadeusz smelled so unpleasant that she had to sit farther away from him.

But I could see how deeply he was touched by the message. He genuinely wanted to change.

After the meeting, I took him to the dormitory where we were staying during the campaign. He had a shower, received some care and stayed with me for the remainder of the meetings.

When the campaign ended, I approached Pastor Julian Hatal, the director of our seminary in Podkowa Leśna. I explained Tadeusz’s situation and asked whether he could come and live with me in my room, where there was an empty bed.

To my great joy, Pastor Hatala agreed.

Before leaving Gdańsk, I helped Tadeusz apply for a new identity card, as he had no identification documents. He was frightened because, as he told me, the police were looking for him over unpaid child maintenance. He feared the woman at the office would immediately inform the police. Since I gave my address as his new place of residence, the officials also recorded my personal details.

Nevertheless, we managed to complete the arrangements and travelled together to Podkowa Leśna.

We shared a room, prayed together and attended morning and evening worship. Pastor Hatal even found Tadeusz some painting work so he could earn a little money.

The first days were difficult. After years of heavy drinking, Tadeusz suffered terribly without alcohol. At times, he experienced episodes of delirium. We prayed with him and encouraged him, trusting God to give him strength.

And something wonderful happened.

For about two weeks, Tadeusz did not touch alcohol or cigarettes. Considering how seriously addicted he had been, this seemed almost unbelievable. The other students and Pastor Hatal were amazed. We all believed we were witnessing God’s wonderful power to change a human life.

Unfortunately, after another week or so, everything suddenly changed.

Perhaps we had become too confident and neglected the prayer and personal attention Tadeusz still desperately needed. One day, he gave in to temptation, stole all the money I had collected from selling Christian literature and disappeared.

I believe his decision was not motivated by alcohol cravings alone. He was probably also afraid that the police would eventually come to arrest him over the unpaid child maintenance.

I was devastated. Not only had I lost someone I cared about, but he had also taken a large sum of money that belonged to the publishing house. I was now responsible for repaying it.

I felt deeply discouraged and struggled to understand why God had allowed this to happen. Later, however, I blamed myself for not keeping the money somewhere safer and, even more importantly, for perhaps not giving Tadeusz enough attention when he needed it most.

Despite everything, I never reported him to the police. In fact, for a long time I did not even tell anyone that he had stolen the money.

Not long afterwards, two policemen arrived at the seminary. Pastor Hatala called me into his office, where they questioned me about Tadeusz.

What surprised me most was their reaction. Instead of criticising us for helping a man who was wanted by the police, they were kind and seemed genuinely impressed that we had welcomed such a severely addicted man and tried so hard to help him rebuild his life.

Although the experience was painful, I gradually recovered and continued selling Christian literature. A few months later, shortly before my planned journey to America for health training, my friend Jacek Jaworski offered me two months of work in his company, which specialised in working at heights. In those two months, I earned more than enough to repay my entire debt to the publishing house. I even had enough money left to prepare for my journey to Living Springs in America.

I was deeply grateful to God for providing a way out of what had seemed an impossible financial situation.

Several years later, an Adventist sister told me that she had met Tadeusz in Gdańsk. When he discovered that she knew me, he asked her to pass on a message. He wanted me to know that he was sorry for what he had done and that he was especially grateful I had never reported him to the police.

A NEW CHAPTER IN THE POLISH MOUNTAINS

After the painful disappointment with Tadeusz, who had stolen all my money, my friend from the seminary, Chrystian Skoroszewski, encouraged me to join him in moving to Danielki, a small village in the Polish mountains.

He had been invited to stay at the home of Jacek Jaworski and his wife, Teresa. Chrystian suggested that we could work together as literature evangelists while continuing our theological studies externally. Instead of living at the seminary, we would return to Podkowa Leśna once a month for a weekend to attend lectures and take examinations.

Considering my difficult financial situation, the idea seemed very attractive, and I immediately became enthusiastic about it.

When I informed the seminary director, Pastor Julian Hatala, of my decision, he tried very hard to persuade me to stay, as he seemed to like me and my involvement in evangelism. But I was determined to leave. What he did not know was that one of the main reasons behind my decision was the loss of all my money. I had never told him about the theft.

Eventually, Chrystian and I moved to Danielki to begin a new chapter in our lives.

Looking back, I became convinced that God had guided us in making that decision. What had begun with such a painful disappointment eventually led to some of the most wonderful spiritual experiences of my life.

THE MIRACLE OF STOLEN MONEY RETURNED

In 1988, when I was 27 years old, I was living with my Adventist friends in Danielki, a tiny mountain hamlet consisting of only a few houses, near Orawka in southern Poland.

Once or twice a week, I visited three families living in separate houses in that village, reading the Bible with them, praying with them, telling them about God’s love and sharing the wonderful truths I had discovered. One of these families was an elderly Catholic couple, both farmers probably around 65 to 70 years old, without children.

One day, when I visited them, I immediately noticed that something was wrong. They looked terribly sad and discouraged. When I asked what had happened, they told me that someone had stolen all the money they had been saving for years to buy a tractor! For these elderly farmers, it was a terrible loss. Years of hard work and saving had suddenly been lost.

They didn’t say anything, but looking at their sad faces, I had the impression that they might even be wondering whether God had punished them for allowing a Seventh-day Adventist to visit their home and share his beliefs. At that time, many Polish Catholics were strongly influenced by religious traditions and warnings against other denominations. I could understand why such a thought might have crossed their minds.

I felt very sorry for them and told them that my Adventist friends and I would pray about their situation. As soon as I returned home, I told Jacek Jaworski and his wife Teresa what had happened, and we immediately prayed together, asking God to have mercy on that elderly couple and, according to His wisdom and love, somehow help them recover their money, or compensate for the loss.

I cannot remember exactly how much time passed. It may have been the following day or two or three days later. When I visited the couple again, I immediately noticed an astonishing change. Instead of looking sad and discouraged, they were smiling and excited! They could hardly wait to tell me what had happened. That very morning, when they got up, they discovered that the stolen money had mysteriously appeared outside their front door! Almost all of it had been returned. Only a small amount was missing!

I could hardly believe what I was hearing! Someone had stolen their savings without being identified, and now, for some unknown reason, the money had been brought back. We were all overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. We read the Word of God together and thanked the Lord in prayer for His mercy and what we believed was a wonderful answer to our prayers. Also, my Adventist friends were very happy and excited when I told them what happened.

What impressed me most was that nobody knew who had stolen the money. The thief had apparently got away with it and had no obvious reason to return anything. And yet, shortly after we prayed, almost all the money was mysteriously returned!

We were convinced that none of the three families living in that small village had taken it. We suspected that the thief must have come from another village some distance away. If that was the case, he may even have had to walk through the forest during the night to return the money unnoticed. But why would a thief who had successfully stolen a large amount of money suddenly change his mind? What could have persuaded him to bring it back?

I have often wondered whether God spoke to his conscience, perhaps through a dream, a warning or some other experience. Or maybe God used an angel so strongly that he could no longer keep what he had stolen.

To me, that was another of God’s miracles and a reminder that God hears our prayers.

And I especially hope that this experience helped that elderly Catholic couple understand that God was not punishing them for studying the Bible with an Adventist, but that He loved them and cared about their troubles.

OLD FARMER DYING FROM CANCER

When I still lived in the same small village, Danielki, I used to visit an elderly farmer there. We would read the Bible and pray together. He lived alone. He had one daughter, but I never saw her visiting him. He once told me about the death of his only son, and how terrible it had been for him.

He never said so directly, but I had the impression that deep in his heart he was angry with God for allowing his son to die. He let me read the Bible to him and pray with him, probably not so much because he was interested in spiritual matters, but because he was lonely and appreciated having someone visit him. He never asked questions or commented on what we read. Nevertheless, since he never objected, I continued visiting him, reading the Bible to him, and praying for him.

He had been a heavy smoker for many years. I gently warned him about the dangers, including the risk of lung cancer, and asked him to quit, but he was not willing.

After some time, he fell ill and began coughing a great deal. We assumed it was just a cold or the flu. I tried to help with herbal remedies and hot foot baths, but nothing seemed to work. We suggested that he go to the hospital, but people there believed that if they went, they would die there.

Some time later, when I went to visit him, he was never at home. Eventually I was told that one day he felt so bad that he collapsed and had been taken to the hospital and diagnosed with lung cancer.

When I visited him there, the disease seemed to have advanced very quickly. He wore an oxygen mask and was breathing rapidly, as if his body were desperately fighting to avoid suffocation.

My heart went out to him; it must have been very painful. I did not know what to say, so I silently asked the Lord what I should do. I felt inspired to do what I had always done with this man: read the Bible and pray. I decided to read from the third chapter of the Gospel of John, so I opened my Bible to the words of Jesus:

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:14-18, NKJV)

As I read those beautiful words of Jesus, the dying man began to weep. He cried harder than I have ever seen anyone cry. I could see that the Holy Spirit had touched his heart.

I don’t remember everything else I said, but I prayed with him, and I am convinced that he will be saved.

Before I left, I told him I would visit again soon. Then I asked a nurse for permission to distribute the Polish edition of the Adventist magazine Signs of the Times (Znaki Czasu). She agreed, and I handed out many copies on that ward with the cancer patients, and in other units as well, giving other suffering people the opportunity to know God’s truth.

As I left the hospital, I was filled with peace and joy. I had been able to read the Word of God to that dying elderly man, and I knew the Holy Spirit had touched his heart. I was also grateful that I could distribute so many copies of Signs of the Times throughout the hospital.

A few days later I learned that the farmer had died the very night after my visit, and that I had been the last person to see him alive. I praised the merciful Lord and thanked him for delivering that man from his suffering, for letting him rest, and for inspiring me to visit him before he died and to read to him about God’s love and salvation through faith in Jesus.

ENCOUNTER WITH AN ANGEL

While living in the small mountain village of Danielki in southern Poland, I travelled once a month by bus and train to the Adventist Seminary in Podkowa Leśna, near Warsaw, to attend weekend theology classes. Before returning home, I always visited the Adventist publishing house in Warsaw to pay for the Christian literature I had sold and collect more books and magazines. Because I lived far away and train tickets were expensive, I always carried as much literature as I possibly could.

One day, after visiting the publishing house, I was returning home with a large backpack full of books and two very heavy parcels, one in each hand. It was a cold, dark, rainy and gloomy day. I took a local train to central Warsaw, where I still had to carry my heavy load several hundred metres to the main railway station, including climbing up a long flight of stairs.

The area seemed deserted, perhaps because it was still early and the weather was so miserable. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I stopped to rest. Looking up, I wondered how I would ever manage to carry everything to the top.

Suddenly, a man appeared beside me. Without saying a word, he picked up both heavy parcels and began carrying them up the stairs. I followed him with my backpack. As far as I remember, he never spoke or even looked at me. He simply carried my books slowly up the long staircase, and I followed him.

When we reached the top, I was so grateful that I immediately reached into my bag to take out a book (most probably the Great Controversy) to give him as a thank-you gift. But when I turned towards him, he was gone! I looked around in astonishment. There was nowhere he could have hidden, and no place he could have reached in those few seconds without me seeing him. The surrounding area was open and deserted. How could a man simply disappear like that?

Then, suddenly, a thought struck me. It was an angel! I was overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude. I began praising God for sending His angel to help me at the very moment I needed him. To this day, I have never doubted that I encountered my guardian angel that morning in Warsaw. I could find no ordinary explanation for his sudden disappearance.

What touched me most was that God had noticed my struggle. I was simply a young literature evangelist carrying heavy books, yet the Lord cared enough to send someone to help me.

My experience in Warsaw reminds me of Ellen G. White’s remarkable description of angels: “These heavenly beings are ministering angels, and they frequently disguise themselves in the form of human beings.” — The Upward Look, p. 84.

She also writes: “Not until the providences of God are seen in the light of eternity shall we understand what we owe to the care and interposition of His angels.” — God’s Amazing Grace, p. 364.

The Bible gives us this wonderful reminder: “Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2 (NASB)

I look forward to the day when, in heaven, I may finally meet that mysterious stranger again and thank him for carrying my heavy books up those stairs.

MEETING A CATHOLIC NUN WHO THOUGHT I WAS SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI

One day, while travelling by train from the Adventist Seminary in Podkowa Leśna back to Danielki with a new supply of religious literature, I found myself sitting opposite a very attractive Catholic nun, about 35–40 years old.

During the journey, I noticed that she kept looking at me. I began praying silently, asking God to give me an opportunity to speak to her about my faith and offer her a book. Being naturally shy, I knew how difficult it was for me to start a conversation with a stranger without God’s help.

As the train approached Kraków station, I was still praying for courage. Then something happened that made everything much easier. One by one, the other passengers left our compartment until only the nun and I remained.

Finally, I gathered enough courage, turned towards her and asked whether she would mind accepting a free book.

As soon as I began speaking and handed her the book, she noticed that it was religious literature. To my surprise, she became quite excited. It seemed that she had also wanted to speak to me throughout the journey but, like me, had been too shy to begin.

Encouraged by her interest, I told her about my conversion and how God’s wonderful love had completely changed my life.

Suddenly, she looked at me with admiration and said something I would never forget: “All my life, I have been waiting to meet Saint Francis of Assisi!”

I was so surprised that I hardly knew what to say!

Before we parted, she gave me the address of her monastery and asked me to write to her.

Some time later, I noticed a poster advertising a new film about the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. Looking at his appearance in the poster, I was surprised to see that I resembled him quite a lot; I even had a beard like him at that time! I began wondering whether the nun had actually imagined that she had met Saint Francis himself!

Perhaps, at that moment, she really did see something of him in me.

However, I suspect that after reading the book I had given her, she may have changed her mind, and it was the reason why she never replied to the letter I later sent her. The book revealed biblical truths that were changed or distorted by the Catholic Church described how the papal Rome had persecuted faithful Christians throughout history and explained the role of the Roman Catholic Church in the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation.

Nevertheless, I was grateful to God for giving me the courage to speak to her and share the truth with her. What began as a silent prayer in a railway compartment became another unforgettable experience of sharing my faith. And although I never heard from her again, I continued to remember her in my prayers.

GROPING IN DARKNESS IN THE MOUNTAINS

Back in Poland, when my country was still under communism, I was distributing Bibles and our books—especially The Great Controversy, The Desire of Ages, and Steps to Christ—in the Polish mountains. I was living on the top of a mountain in a very small village of about four or five houses, in a house owned by my Seventh-day Adventist friends. In order to get there, I had to walk up the hill for about an hour from the nearest bus stop.

One day in wintertime, when sunsets were very early, I was coming back home after distributing the books. When I got off the bus, I was horrified to realise that I had forgotten to take my flashlight. After walking for about ten to fifteen minutes, it got so dark that I couldn’t see the way anymore. Actually, I couldn’t see anything at all; it was pitch black. I could see nothing. I got scared, of course, because I couldn’t sleep outside in wintertime—that would kill me—and the mountains could also be dangerous. I was already tired because I was carrying a big bag with books and a folding table.

In addition, my Adventist friend, in whose house I was staying, had told me that when he was walking the same way at night, something like a devil or a person jumped on him, and he had to fight with it. I knew that he was telling me the truth because he was serious and he didn’t have any mental health issues. But he could fight because he was much bigger and stronger than me; he was one of the best Judo fighters in Poland, and before he became a Seventh-day Adventist, he was even a bodyguard for the most popular singing group in Poland. But I was very easy prey, and I couldn’t even run in that horrible darkness.

So you can imagine: whenever I touched the branch of a tree while I was groping in the darkness, not knowing where I was going, I experienced almost a heart attack because I thought that the devil, or whatever it was, was about to jump on me.

My problem was that whenever I went through a stressful experience like that, I always got very discouraged and overwhelmed by feelings that God had abandoned me because he allowed something like that to happen.

After some time, I came to my senses, and I realised that I couldn’t do anything to save myself from that horrible, scary, grave-like darkness, and my only hope was in God. So I humbled myself at last; I knelt on the snow, and I started to pray. I really prayed at that time. And guess what happened?

Before that short, desperate prayer, I couldn’t see anything—I couldn’t see my fingers when I put them close to my eyes—but after the prayer, when I opened my eyes, I immediately saw the way!

So I stood up, and I praised the Lord for the miracle of providing enough light so that I could see the path. I wasn’t yet sure it was the right way, but I knew that I could eventually get somewhere and ask for help.

When I walked for only about five to ten minutes, I noticed a light in the distance. When I got closer, it was the light of a house, and guess whose house it was? It was the house of my Adventist friends!

Then I understood that when I was discouraged and thought that God had abandoned me, it was all a lie, and I was deceiving myself with my feelings. The truth was that God was loving me and caring for me all the time. When I didn’t know where I was going, he was carrying me straight home; that’s why I got home so quickly.

God says: “I have loved you with an everlasting love, and therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you.” About agape, we read that agape never fails—the agape love of God never fails.

The Lord Jesus says to us: “Surely I am with you always, even until the end of the world.”

This experience also helped me to understand that I was like that darkness, and I couldn’t do anything to save myself; my hope was only in God.

FROM UNBEARABLE PAIN TO COMPLETE RECOVERY

Sometimes people from other villages asked my Adventist friend Jacek Jaworski, in whose house I lived and who taught me how to use herbal remedies, to help them with their health problems.

And I remember a certain lady who developed a horrible pain in one of her legs.

Her husband took her to a doctor who prescribed a medication for her, but the drug didn’t work, and the pain was even more severe. So they came back to the doctor hoping he would prescribe another medication. Unfortunately, the physician had no idea how to help her and said he couldn’t do anything else.

Fortunately, after returning home, someone in the village told them about us, and they immediately sent a messenger to ask us to visit her. When we arrived, she told us she was suffering a horrible pain in one of her legs. The whole leg was swollen, and the pain was so severe that she couldn’t walk or sleep for three days and nights.

After seeing her leg and knowing the symptoms, we realised it was an acute inflammation of the veins (phlebitis) due to a poor, refined diet, which was high in sugar, pork, animal fat, dairy, white flour products and low in raw vegetables, fresh fruits, and other unrefined plant foods.

Since they were farmers and lived in a village, in the garden they had plenty of very potent fresh organic herbs. So we picked some horsetail herb, which is the highest source of the mineral silica. When the horsetail herb is dry and when you shake it, you can actually hear a kind of faint rustling sound. That’s because it is very high in silica, which is extremely important for blood vessels as it strengthens them, increases their flexibility, and has anti-inflammatory properties.

But because horsetail contains a chemical which is called an anti-vitamin B1 factor it is important to take it with vitamin B1. So we told her husband to buy nutritional yeast tablets which were high in this vitamin.

Apart from that, also in their big, rich garden full of potent remedies, we dug out a very good quality green clay which is also very high in silica. We boiled it in a big pot with water for about 30 minutes, and when it was warm, we put a thick clay compress on the entire sick leg, wrapped it with cling film, and left the compress for 2 hours. The whole procedure was repeated twice a day.

Read more about MEDICINAL CLAY

At the same time, we prayed with them, asking for God’s blessing and encouraged them to pray and read the Bible every day. We also explained to them what the cause of the problem was and encouraged them to improve their diet. As a result of the treatment, the very next day, she was better.

In a few days, the inflammation was gone, and in about two weeks she was completely healthy, free from pain and was able to walk and work again. They both were so thankful that they wanted me to marry their daughter :-).

But in spite of the fact that she was really a very beautiful girl, I was too shy at that time to get involved, and apart from that, I had already received a visa to America (which was extremely hard to get at that time as Poland was under communism). So I was very excited about going to America – the land of milk and money :-).

I could share with you more similar recovery stories, but I hope after reading those presented above you will gain enough motivation and encouragement to follow the same pattern presented in the Health Recovery Plan and also in the specific description of your health problem found in the section titled “Diseases“.

BILL DULL IN POLAND AND INVITATION TO LIVING SPRINGS

In 1988, while I was living in Danielki and taking an external theology course at the Adventist Seminary in Podkowa Leśna, Bill Dull, president of Living Springs Retreat, visited Poland with his wife, Lois, and a nurse named Ruth Zollinger. They came to teach Polish Adventists about health principles and simple hydrotherapy treatments. The training took place at the Adventist Seminary in Podkowa Leśna.

That same year, Bill decided to launch a one-year health training programme at Living Springs for students from the United States and other countries. He wanted to invite two young, dedicated Adventists from Poland. My friend Robert Kuczek had already been invited, and knowing my desire to serve the Lord and my interest in health ministry, he suggested that Bill invite me as well.

To my great excitement and joy, Bill eventually invited me too! It was a wonderful opportunity, something I could hardly have imagined at that time.

Towards the end of the health seminar in Poland, Elder Kosowski asked Bill if he could accept a third Polish student, Alina Ciupa. Bill agreed, but unfortunately, this turned out to be a rather unfortunate decision because Alina did not speak English at the time.

When we later arrived at Living Springs, she struggled to understand the lectures and frequently asked Robert and me to translate for her. We genuinely wanted to help, but we soon discovered that it was almost impossible. We had studied English in Poland for only one year, and translating the lectures meant that we could neither concentrate properly on what was being taught nor take notes ourselves. As a result, we were missing much of the valuable information, and eventually, we had to stop translating.

Looking back, I believe it would have been much better for Alina to remain in Poland for another year, improve her English, and join the following year’s training programme alongside Arek Bojko and Roman Pawlak. That way, she could have benefited much more from the lectures, and Robert and I would not have missed so much of the teaching ourselves.

THREE SIGNS OF GOD’S APPROVAL

Although the opportunity to go to America was like a dream come true, I did not want to accept the invitation without first being sure that it was God’s will.

So I prayed and asked the Lord for three signs. I specifically asked that if He wanted me to go to America, Bill Dull would show a special interest in me on three separate occasions.

And remarkably, that is exactly what happened!

First, Bill asked me to record his health lectures using his video camera. Then, out of approximately 200 participants, he chose me to be the model for demonstrating hydrotherapy treatments! I cannot remember the third occasion now, but I clearly remember that Bill showed a special interest in me three times, exactly as I had asked God in prayer.

To me, this was a clear answer to prayer. I became convinced that the Lord wanted me to go to America and that He was opening the door.

You can imagine how excited and grateful we were! It was 1989, and Poland was still under communist rule. For young Polish men like us, travelling to America was something most people could only dream about. Yet here we were, invited to spend an entire year at a Christian health centre in New York!

WHY I STOPPED PRACTISING ACUPRESSURE

While living in Danielki, I used to practice acupressure, sometimes with excellent results. But the longer I did it, the more doubts I had about it until one day, after a certain experience, I decided to stop and never use it again.

I learned acupressure from my Adventist friend Jacek Jaworski, who had practised it before he joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Although we never discussed this subject after my experience, I believe he eventually gave up on it too, as I never heard him using this method.

Jacek was and is a man deeply dedicated to God, with a sincere desire to follow His will. Knowing him as I did, I am convinced that if he discovered that something was not from the Lord, he would have rejected it.

My decision to give up on acupressure took place in either autumn 1988 or spring 1989, during the one-week health training conducted by Bill Dull, his wife Lois and a nurse, Ruth Zollenger.

After an evening lecture, I noticed a Sister who had become very sick. A group of people had gathered around her, and some were suggesting calling an ambulance. But I said, “Before you call an ambulance, just give me a chance to help her. If it doesn’t work, you can phone the hospital.”

So I gave her a foot massage for a few minutes and prayed for her together with the Christians who were there, including the sick woman herself. As soon as we finished, the woman was completely free from her pain and was able to continue attending the lectures.

But although she and everybody else seemed happy after her recovery, I began to feel very gloomy and dark inside. I felt great remorse, as if I had done something horrible. I couldn’t understand why, especially since I had helped the woman recover, prayed for her, and, as always, expected nothing in return.

Then, for the first time, I began to suspect that these feelings might have something to do with acupressure.

After the last evening lecture, I went to my room, still feeling anxious inside, and I prayed for a long time, with tears in my eyes, asking God to show me whether acupressure was the cause of my anxiety and remorse. Eventually, I regained my peace and went to sleep.

The very next day, Bill Dull, who was the main speaker, decided to speak — guess about what? About acupressure and other similar mysterious techniques!

Somehow, he had felt an urge to speak about this subject, although he hadn’t planned to do so, and I certainly hadn’t asked him. It was clear to me that the Holy Spirit was using Bill Dull to answer my prayer.

He explained that a group of American scientists had travelled to China to investigate the origins of acupressure, acupuncture and other popular Eastern healing methods.

And do you know what they discovered? According to Bill, they found that these methods had originated from spiritism. In other words, spirits claiming to be the spirits of dead people — but actually evil angels pretending to be the dead — had supposedly introduced these methods and explained how to use them.

In this way, I received what I believed was God’s answer to my prayer. I accepted the message, and from that day onwards, I never practised acupressure again.

I became convinced that somehow, through acupressure and other mysterious healing methods, including homeopathy, acupuncture, shiatsu, pendulum diagnosis, radionics and similar practices, evil angels could work through those who practised them to influence their patients. At the same time, I believed that these evil spirits could gradually gain more and more control over the minds of the practitioners themselves, often without their realising what was happening. This was a serious spiritual danger that I wanted to avoid, and I was deeply grateful to God for opening my eyes to it.

READ MORE ABOUT NEW AGE MEDICINE

MIROSŁAW NURZYŃSKI — A WELL-KNOWN POLISH HERBALIST AND BIOENERGY THERAPIST

Another Seventh-day Adventist who attended the same health training course at the Adventist Seminary in Podkowa Leśna was Mirosław Nurzyński, a well-known Polish herbalist who ran a natural healing centre in Gołąbki, near Łuków. Besides herbal medicine, he practised bioenergy therapy, radiesthesia (dowsing), homeopathy, iridology and other unconventional healing methods.

His practice was very popular. According to the Polish newspaper Dziennik Wschodni (22 October 2004), he sometimes received as many as 100 patients a day. He used a pendulum for diagnosis and even claimed to diagnose people from photographs or handwritten letters.

During the health training, like myself, Mirosław became convinced that the bioenergy methods he had been using were spiritually dangerous and inspired by evil spirits. He was so deeply convicted that he publicly confessed before all the participants that these practices were wrong and promised never to use them again.

Unfortunately, despite his sincere intentions, he did not keep his promise. I know this because, after the seminar, when he learned that I was going to Living Springs in America, he invited me to spend about a week at his herbal farm in Gołąbki to help him prepare herbal remedies.

During my stay, I noticed that his wife was putting considerable pressure on him to continue using his former diagnostic methods. Obviously, she feared that abandoning them would mean losing patients and their income. To my disappointment, I discovered that he had returned to the very practices he had publicly rejected.

What makes this story particularly sad is that, many years later, Polish publications from 2004 and 2015 still described him practising the same methods.

This experience taught me an important spiritual lesson: It is one thing to recognise that something is wrong and sincerely promise to abandon it, but quite another to remain faithful to that decision when financial interests, family pressure and old habits stand in the way. As Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24, NASB).

Mirosław Nurzyński died on 1 March 2020, aged 90. According to the official Seventh-day Adventist Church announcement in Poland, he had served for many years as a church elder in Siedlce and was one of the founders of the Adventist congregation in Łuków. He was also remembered for his extensive knowledge of herbal medicine.

A STRANGE EXPERIENCE AT THE ADVENTIST SEMINARY IN POLAND

The gentleman you see in the picture is Piotr Nowak, one of the most popular bioenergy therapists in Poland. Every day, hundreds of people come to him from all over the country to receive his healing touch and buy special water that he claims to have energised himself.

Interestingly, our Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in Podkowa Leśna was located just across the road, directly opposite his premises.

Sometimes, people who came to visit this famous healer would also come to our seminary to stay overnight.

Some time ago, one of the Adventist seminary students told me about a strange experience involving a young couple who had come to the seminary one evening. The young woman, who was not a Seventh-day Adventist, had previously visited Piotr Nowak and had reportedly been healed by him.

However, after some time, the girl began behaving very strangely, as though she were demon-possessed.

A group of seminary students decided to pray for her. As they continued praying, something extraordinary happened, which they reportedly witnessed with their own eyes.

They saw what looked like a grey mass in the shape of a ball coming out of the young woman. This strange grey substance struck the door and disappeared!

For a while, everything seemed to be fine. But shortly afterwards, the girl began behaving in the same strange way again.

So the students started praying for her once more. And for the second time, they reportedly saw the same grey mass coming out of her forehead. This time, however, it was much smaller. Again, it struck the door and disappeared!

After that second prayer, the young woman appeared to be completely free from the disturbing influence that had affected her.

I remember hearing Pastor Pavel Goia tell a remarkable story in one of his sermons on YouTube. During preparations for an evangelistic campaign, they needed to print leaflets to advertise the meetings, but strangely, several new printers refused to work.

A Canadian pastor suggested that they should pray over the equipment. After they prayed, a strange grey substance came out of the new printer that refused to work; it struck the wall and disappeared.

Afterwards, the printer worked normally, and they were able to print the leaflets for the evangelistic campaign.

LIVING SPRINGS

In 1989, while I was still living in Poland, I received a wonderful invitation that would become one of the greatest blessings of my life. Bill Dull, the founder of Living Springs Health Retreat in Putnam Valley, New York, visited Poland and invited me and two other young Polish Seventh-day Adventists to come to America for one year of health and medical missionary training.

I gladly accepted his invitation, although I had no idea what extraordinary experiences were waiting for me. Looking back, I can honestly say that my time at Living Springs was one of the happiest and most unforgettable periods of my life.

Living Springs was founded by Bill Dull in 1975 as a Seventh-day Adventist health and lifestyle retreat in Putnam Valley, New York, at 136 Bryant Pond Road (45 miles north of mid-Manhattan).

The ministry later expanded its work into Manhattan, establishing a vegan restaurant, health food shop and Lifestyle Centre in April 1993 at 116 East 60th Street.

During my stay at Living Springs, I had the wonderful opportunity not only to learn about natural health but also to gain valuable practical experience by helping guests who came to the retreat hoping to improve their health. Our training covered healthy nutrition, hydrotherapy, massage, exercise and other natural methods of restoring and maintaining good health.

Each day, we spent four hours attending health and Bible classes, followed by another four hours of practical work. At the retreat, we provided hydrotherapy treatments, taught guests about healthy living, accompanied them on walks and encouraged them in their efforts to regain their health. We also took turns working at the vegan restaurant and health food shop in Manhattan.

I had the opportunity to work in all these places, including the health shop, without realising that God was preparing me for something I would do years later in Poland — running my own health shops! Looking back, I can see how valuable that experience was and how wonderfully the Lord was guiding my life.

In Manhattan, we also organised stop-smoking programmes to help people overcome their addiction to tobacco. Pastor Herbert Poholka conducted Bible seminars there, and some of those who attended eventually accepted Christ and were baptised.

But what made my time at Living Springs especially memorable was not simply the knowledge and practical skills I gained. It was the people I met — individuals from different countries and walks of life, each with their own experiences, struggles and hopes. Listening to their stories, helping them improve their health and having opportunities to share my faith in Christ brought me tremendous joy and made those months some of the most meaningful and unforgettable of my life.

LIVING SPRINGS 1990 GRADUATING CLASS: UPPER ROW: Dan Hamelin (Canada), Slawek Gromadzki (Poland), Robert Kuczek (Poland), Shadrach Samuel (India), John Pauls (Colorado). LOWER ROW: Alina Ciupa (Poland), Heather Erho (Canada), Irene Tan (Malaysia), Ruth Zollinger (Living Springs Education Director). NOT PICTURED: Laverne Proctor (Bermuda), Hua Ping (Malaysia).

MY ENCOUNTER WITH HOLLYWOOD ACTOR PATRICK O’NEAL AT LIVING SPRINGS

In 1990, while working at Living Springs Retreat in Putnam Valley, New York, I had the opportunity to give a massage to the well-known American actor Patrick O’Neal (1927–1994). He had come to the retreat hoping to give up smoking after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

Someone needed to give him a massage and hydrotherapy treatment, and they chose me, even though I wasn’t a professional massage therapist. Being naturally shy and feeling unqualified for the task, I tried to refuse, but in vain. So I had to do it anyway!

While giving him the massage and water treatment, I felt impressed by the Holy Spirit to tell him about my personal conversion to Christianity, how my faith had completely changed my life, and how God had set me free from my addictions, including smoking and alcohol.

Patrick was a quiet, rather introverted man who spoke only a few words at a time, but he was very kind. He stayed at Living Springs for several days, and before leaving, he told us that he felt he had been set free from his smoking addiction and no longer needed to continue the therapy.

There was also a rather amusing side to his visit. As long as Patrick was at Living Springs, all the elderly ladies seemed quite happy to stay at the retreat. But as soon as he left, they suddenly decided it was time for them to go home too! Apparently, his presence had been an additional attraction!

Patrick O’Neal was an established Hollywood and Broadway actor who appeared in numerous films and television productions. Among his best-known films were In Harm’s Way (1965), King Rat (1965), The Way We Were (1973), starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford, The Stepford Wives (1975), and Under Siege (1992). He also appeared twice as a murderer in the popular television detective series Columbo.

Interestingly, O’Neal was also a committed strict vegetarian and owned several restaurants in New York. It is quite possible that he learned about Living Springs through his interest in vegetarianism and healthy living, especially since Living Springs operated a popular vegan restaurant and health centre in Manhattan.

Another possibility is that he heard about Living Springs from fellow Hollywood actors such as Paul Newman and Mel Brooks, who, according to what I was told, occasionally ate at the Living Springs vegan restaurant in Manhattan.

Sadly, four years after our meeting, Patrick O’Neal died on 9 September 1994, aged 66, at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan. According to his wife, Cynthia, he died of respiratory failure after suffering from tuberculosis and lung cancer.

I still remember that encounter, especially the opportunity I had to share my Christian testimony with him and tell him how God had set me free from my addictions and completely transformed my life. Although Patrick was a man of few words, I hope that what I shared touched his heart and helped him draw closer to our loving God during that difficult time in his life.

GOING TO UCHEE PINES AND SEEING WASHINGTON D.C.

After about eight months at Living Springs, we were invited by Dr Agatha Thrash to spend seven days at the Uchee Pines Institute in Alabama for additional health training.

On our way there, we stopped in Washington, D.C., where we visited the White House, the Mormon Temple and several other interesting places.

I particularly remember a little adventure I had with another Living Springs student, Laverne Proctor from Bermuda. Somehow, the two of us got separated from the rest of our group and spent quite some time trying to find them. This was long before mobile phones, so we had no way of contacting anyone! Eventually, we were reunited with the others, although I can no longer remember whether we found them or they found us.

To be honest, I didn’t mind being lost with Laverne at all! She was a very attractive young Black woman, and I liked her very much. I thoroughly enjoyed her company, and looking back, I believe the feeling may have been mutual, which she expressed during the last meeting with her just before she departed for Bermuda, when she mentioned that she enjoyed the time when we were lost together in Washington DC.

I remember one Sabbath morning at Living Springs in Manhattan when I was preaching a sermon about the sufferings of Christ and His sacrifice on the cross. As I was speaking, I noticed that Laverne and another student, Irene from Malaysia, were looking at me and trying hard not to laugh.

Only later, when we returned to the retreat, did I realise what was so funny when I looked in the mirror. To save money for books, I had decided to cut my hair myself using scissors. Unfortunately, the result was not very good, to say the least! I looked as though someone had cut my hair with a lawnmower! 🙂

But I wasn’t offended at all. In fact, I couldn’t blame them. If I had seen someone with a haircut like mine, I wouldn’t have been able to stop laughing either!

However, something wonderful happened as the sermon continued. By the time I reached the end, Laverne and Irene were no longer laughing. Instead, they were in tears.

As I spoke about the infinite love of God revealed on the cross and the unimaginable suffering that the Son of God willingly endured for our salvation, the Holy Spirit touched their hearts. What had begun with laughter ended with tears of gratitude and love for our wonderful Saviour.

That experience reminded me of something beautiful: Even when the messenger looks ridiculous, “the message of the cross is still the power of God to all those who are being saved”, able to touch and transform human hearts.

Unfortunately, Laverne had to return to Bermuda before our training at Living Springs was over, and I never found the courage to tell her how I felt. Perhaps I was too shy, uncertain how she felt and would respond, or perhaps I thought that a relationship between us would be unrealistic because we came from different countries and cultural backgrounds, and our futures seemed to be taking us in different directions. But I have continued praying for her and several other fellow students throughout all these years, right up to the present day.

I have prayed especially for Dan Hamelin, who once opened his heart to me about a personal struggle and asked me to pray for him. I have admired his courage and never forgotten his request, and even after all these years, I still remember him in my prayers. He is one of my favourite people I’ve ever met because he understood the gospel and had the courage to tell the truth when one pastor expressed his legalistic ideas. At the same time, Dan was kind and humble and had a great sense of humour, and, like myself, was morally weak by nature and struggling with the inclinations of fallen flesh.

John Pauls was another friend at Living Springs whom I particularly liked and appreciated. Over the years, I have continued to remember him and my other friends in my prayers.

LEARNING ABOUT THE 1888 MESSAGE AND CHRIST’S INCARNATION

During my Christian journey, there was a period when, without fully realising it, I was trying to earn God’s favour through my own efforts, obedience, and achievements. Although I sincerely loved the Lord and wanted to serve Him, I had not yet fully understood the wonderful truth of righteousness by faith or the significance of Christ taking upon Himself our fallen human nature. I also knew very little about the precious message proclaimed by E. J. Waggoner and A. T. Jones at the famous 1888 General Conference session in Minneapolis.

However, God was about to open my eyes to these wonderful truths in a way that would profoundly influence my understanding of the gospel.

Our director of education at Living Springs, Sister Ruth Zollinger, was a wonderful Christian woman. One day, she invited Brother Sidney Sweet, a member of the 1888 Message Study Committee, to speak to us about righteousness by faith, the incarnation of Christ, and the history of the 1888 message. He also brought several books on these subjects, and I purchased some of them.

As I began reading, I was astonished when I discovered that Christ could have returned long ago if the church had fully accepted the precious message of righteousness by faith that God sent through Waggoner and Jones. Unfortunately, the message encountered strong resistance from influential church leaders and delegates, and its full significance was not appreciated.

I learned that Ellen White had identified this message as the beginning of the latter rain and the loud cry of the third angel. Yet, because of the resistance and unbelief among God’s people, the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit did not develop into its intended fullness, and Christ’s return was delayed. Read more about this subject HERE.

This was a remarkable discovery for me. I began to understand that the great issue was not simply knowing the commandments or trying harder to obey them, but having a living faith in Christ and His perfect righteousness. Our salvation rests entirely upon what Christ has accomplished for us, not upon our own achievements. True obedience and victory over sin are the fruits of His righteousness working in us through the Holy Spirit.

MY FIRST PRESENTATION AT LIVING SPRINGS AND SERMON AT PEEKSKILL CHURCH

At the end of 1989 or the beginning of 1990, Pastor Sergio Manente, who was working in the Pearl River–Peekskill Seventh-day Adventist district, gave us several Bible classes at Living Springs. He asked us to read the book Tell It to the World by C. Mervyn Maxwell, which describes the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Each student was supposed to choose a chapter and prepare a presentation about it.

I chose the chapter dealing with the 1888 General Conference Session in Minneapolis, because I found it particularly interesting. I believe it was God who inspired me to make that choice, as He wanted all the students (including me), and even the pastor himself, to understand how important the truth presented at that conference was.

God blessed my presentation, and I could see that the Holy Spirit was touching people’s hearts. However, I noticed that the pastor of the Peekskill Church did not seem particularly pleased with what I had said. Perhaps it was because I spoke openly about the importance of the 1888 message and how it had been rejected by many church leaders and delegates. I also explained that, as a result of this rejection, the special blessing God intended to give His church through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain, which would prepare His people for Christ’s return, had been delayed.

Some time later, to my great surprise, I was invited to preach at the Peekskill Church! I believe it was Sister Ruth Zollenger, our educational director at Living Springs, who recommended me, perhaps because she had been impressed by my earlier presentation. And believe it or not, they actually invited me to deliver a sermon there!

At that time, my English was still very poor, and by nature I was extremely shy and lacked confidence. The thought of standing before an American congregation and preaching in English was quite frightening to me. Therefore, I wrote out my entire sermon and learned it by heart, hoping that this would help me overcome my fear. But even after all that preparation, my hands were trembling before the sermon! I was terribly nervous and afraid that I might forget what I had memorised or be unable to express myself properly in English.

However, as soon as I began speaking, the Holy Spirit gave me courage, confidence, and strength. My fear disappeared, and I was able to deliver the entire sermon without any difficulty. Once again, I experienced how wonderfully God can help us when we feel weak and inadequate. I was deeply grateful to the Lord because I knew that without His help, I would never have had the courage to stand before that congregation and preach in a language I could barely speak.

THE CONTROVERSY OVER CHRIST’S HUMAN NATURE

At that time, I also learned that in the 1950s, Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders, in an effort to remove the label of a sect, began theological discussions with well-known Protestant theologians.

One of the main reasons these theologians regarded us as a sect was our belief that Christ took upon Himself our sinful human nature. So, to gain their favour, Adventist leaders, including Froom, Read, Unruh, and Anderson, compromised and changed the teaching about Christ’s human nature, claiming that He took a sinless human nature instead.

This change was reflected in the unfortunate book Questions on Doctrine, published in 1957 and widely distributed throughout the Adventist Church, causing controversy and divisions that continue to this day.

For more on this, go to Humanity of Christ – History of the Changed View

MEETING PASTOR SEQUEIRA AT UCHEE PINES

However, my greatest spiritual experience came in March 1990, when I had the privilege of staying at Uchee Pines Institute in Alabama, founded by Dr Agatha Thrash and her husband, Dr Calvin Thrash.

Apart from teaching us about health, they also invited Pastor Jack Sequeira. And for seven days, twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, he was preaching to us about the Gospel based on the book of Romans and sharing incredible experiences. The best of them are included HERE.

Every morning and evening, he shared with us the most beautiful and Christ-centred message on salvation by faith in Jesus Christ that I had ever heard. To be completely honest, it was the most blessed spiritual experience of my life.

I must admit that I never felt such a strong influence of the Holy Spirit, neither before nor after.

Although my English at that time was still limited and I could not understand every word perfectly, I had never before — nor since — felt such a powerful influence of the Holy Spirit.

After the seminar, I bought all the recorded sermons and Bible studies on audio cassette, a Greek interlinear Bible, and several commentaries on Romans, including the excellent commentary written by Anders Nygren, which Pastor Sequeira recommended to me.

I began studying this precious message carefully and prayerfully. As I gradually understood and accepted it with all my heart, I experienced a wonderful freedom from condemnation, fear, and the burden of trying to save myself through my own performance. Since that time, despite my imperfections and occasional failures, I have continued to rejoice in the assurance of salvation through Christ alone.

When I was listening to Pastor Sequeira at Uchee Pines, it was as if God Himself was saying to me: “This is the reason I have brought you here. Listen carefully, study this message, and take it back to your country.”

Well, listening carefully and studying was very easy because I fell in love with this message from the beginning. But going back to Poland, which was under communism at that time and a very poor country, and leaving America—the country of milk and money—was a very hard thing for me to do. It was a struggle, but finally the Holy Spirit overcame the law of sin and selfishness in me, so I came back to Poland.

As soon as I returned, the Seventh-day Adventist churches in my country started inviting me to do health seminars. In about ten years, I visited almost every Seventh-day Adventist church in Poland, some of them repeatedly. But when they invited me to do health seminars, they also asked me to preach on the Sabbath. And guess what I was preaching about? I was always preaching about Christ, our righteousness, salvation through faith only in Jesus, the wonderful “in-Christ” motive, and the cross of Christ.

Then I understood much better what Sister White meant when she said that the health message is the right arm of the Gospel, because in my experience it was the health message that opened the door for preaching the most beautiful message of the gospel.

ATTENDING THE GENERAL CONFERENCE SESSION AND THE 1888 MESSAGE CONFERENCE IN 1990

In July 1990, Brother Sidney Sweet and his wife, Sugar, took me to Andrews University for the 6th National 1888 Message Conference, held on 16–21 July. There, I had the opportunity to listen to and meet Pastor Jack Sequeira again, along with several other speakers, including Robert J. Wieland, Donald K. Short, and Lewis R. Walton.

Although I cannot remember for certain, I believe that before attending the conference at Andrews University, we also visited the General Conference Session in Indianapolis for a day. This session took place on 5–14 July 1990, and Robert S. Folkenberg was elected as the new General Conference president.

Folkenberg greatly appreciated the fully restored gospel proclaimed by Pastor Jack Sequeira, especially the “In Christ Motif”, and expressed his support for this message in his sermons and a Week of Prayer article. He also played an important role in arranging for Sequeira to become the pastor of Capital Memorial Church in Washington, D.C., in 1991.

I was particularly interested in Pastor Sequeira’s presentation of the gospel, especially his emphasis on our corporate union with Christ, His identification with fallen humanity, and the complete salvation He accomplished for us through His life, death, and resurrection.

For me, this was not merely an academic or theological argument. I began to see why the humanity of Christ was so important to understanding the gospel. Jesus did not come merely to show us how to live. He came as our Saviour and Representative, taking upon Himself the fallen human nature He came to redeem, condemning sin in the flesh, and accomplishing our complete salvation through His perfect life, sacrificial death, and resurrection. (Romans 8:3–4; Hebrews 2:14–17)

This understanding helped me appreciate more deeply the immeasurable love of God and the wonderful truth that salvation is His gift to us in Christ, received through faith rather than earned through human effort.

HOW GOD PROTECTED ME AGAINST CHICKENPOX

Let me share an experience from my own life that showed me how effective God’s natural remedies can be, especially when combined with prayer.

In 1989, three years after my baptism, the Lord sent me from Poland to America, where I joined students from different countries for a special one-year health and medical missionary training programme.

During that time, I shared a room with my Polish friend, Robert. Unfortunately, after about six months, he contracted chickenpox and became seriously ill. He suffered from severe symptoms, including a high fever, and was unable to attend our training classes for about two weeks.

During his illness, I also tried to help Robert by giving him hot foot baths, one of the natural hydrotherapy treatments we were learning about during our medical missionary training. Although I was aware that chickenpox was extremely contagious, I didn’t want to leave my friend without help.

Since we were both born in Poland in the beginning of 1960s, we had never been vaccinated against chickenpox because the vaccine did not even exist during our childhood. In those days, Polish children were vaccinated against smallpox, which is a completely different disease. The chickenpox vaccine was developed only in the 1970s and became available much later.

Furthermore, as far as I knew, I had never had chickenpox as a child. Therefore, everyone looked at me with pity. They were convinced I would be the next victim because chickenpox is extremely contagious, and I was sharing a room with someone who had the disease.

I was particularly worried because my English was not very good at that time. I could understand only about 50% of what was being taught during our daily lectures and classes, so I had to study much harder than the other students to keep up. Missing two weeks of training would have made things even more difficult.

Therefore, I decided to ask the Lord either to protect me from the virus or to give me wisdom about what I could do to protect myself.

While I was praying, a strong and persistent thought came into my mind, prompting me to take alternating hot and cold showers twice a day. I became convinced that this idea was inspired by the Lord.

So I began taking very hot showers for about three minutes, followed by water as cold as I could tolerate for about two minutes, gradually lowering the temperature. I repeated this hot-and-cold cycle three to five times during each treatment, once in the morning and again in the evening.

Unfortunately, after a few days, I began noticing what seemed to be the first symptoms of chickenpox. I felt discouraged, but thank God, I didn’t give up on the showers.

I continued the treatment every morning and evening, and something remarkable happened. Each time I noticed the symptoms and took the alternating hot and cold showers, they disappeared. Altogether, the symptoms appeared three times, but after the third occasion, they never returned.

I was extremely grateful to God!

Shortly after this experience, I was reading a health book written by an American physician. Suddenly, I came across a passage that made me very excited.

The physician claimed that even after someone had contracted the chickenpox virus, alternating hot and cold showers could help prevent the disease from fully developing. According to him, this treatment could weaken the virus and stimulate the immune system.

I could hardly believe what I was reading! This was exactly what I had been doing, without even knowing about the physician’s recommendation.

To me, it was another wonderful confirmation that the Lord had heard my prayers and guided me towards the treatment I believed He wanted me to use. I thanked God and the Holy Spirit for giving me wisdom when I needed it most.

Meanwhile, all the students and others at the retreat were surprised that I had not developed a full case of chickenpox, despite sharing a room with Robert and having no known immunity from previous infection or vaccination.

When I told them what had happened, we all praised the Lord for His love, wisdom and care.

Was God on my side? Yes!

Could He have protected me without hot and cold showers? Of course!

But I believe He wanted me to do what I could while trusting Him to do what I could not. He inspired me to use natural remedies, follow a healthy diet, pray for His blessing and place my trust in Him.

In the end, I remained well, avoided a prolonged illness and was able to continue my training without interruption.

Above all, this experience taught me an important lesson: we should do what we can to care for our health while trusting God for His guidance, wisdom and blessing.

MEETING SISTER IRENE

At one point during my stay at Living Springs, an Adventist sister named Irene, who was born in Poland but had lived in America for many years, came to visit our retreat with a friend. When she was told that there were three Polish students at Living Springs, she immediately wanted to see us.

I don’t remember all the details, but I clearly remember how deeply impressed I was by her personality and the story of her life. She was a wonderful woman, full of enthusiasm, strong faith, and joy, always praising God.

Her husband had been addicted to alcohol. He drank every day and did not always treat her well. Yet she never condemned or criticised him. Instead, she continued to love him, preparing his meals, washing and ironing his clothes, and taking care of him. Above all, she prayed every day for his conversion.

This continued for a year or two, until one Sabbath morning something wonderful happened. Without saying a word, her husband, who was a quiet and introverted man, put on his suit and went with her to church for the Sabbath worship service. From that day on, he continued attending church with her every Sabbath and stopped drinking. The patient love of God in her heart, together with faithful prayers, had finally borne fruit.

Later, Sister Irene invited the three of us to her home, where she and her husband were also caring for two homeless men. As far as I remember, they lived somewhere in the Boston area. On the way there, she kindly arranged for me to visit my relatives—my uncle, aunt, and their son and daughter.

During my stay in America, God blessed me with the opportunity to meet some wonderful Christians whose love, faith, humility, and kindness left a lasting impression on me. They were living examples of Christ’s love, and I will never forget them. Sister Irene was one of these remarkable people.

RETURNING TO POLAND

Of course, one of the hardest things for me was leaving America — the “land of milk and money,” as many people in communist Poland used to call it — and returning home. Some of my relatives living in America strongly encouraged me to stay there permanently. But, thank God, the Holy Spirit gave me enough strength to overcome the temptation, and I finally submitted to what I believed was God’s will for my life.

When I returned to Poland the following autumn, communism had already collapsed. Bill Dull hoped to establish a branch of Living Springs in Poland, but eventually those plans did not succeed. Instead, God opened the way for me to start my own health ministry through a herbal and health food shop.

Although I never returned to the seminary to complete my theological studies, I always had a deep desire to become a minister and preach the gospel. Yet God fulfilled that desire in another way. After some time, churches throughout Poland began inviting me to present health lectures, and almost everywhere I went I was also asked to preach sermons.

For about fifteen years I travelled throughout Poland—and occasionally abroad—speaking in nearly all Seventh-day Adventist churches in the country.

In my sermons I continually emphasised the truths I had learned through Pastor Sequeira’s ministry: the centrality of the cross, the wonderful “in Christ” message, the truth that Jesus gave Himself completely and eternally for humanity, and salvation by grace through faith alone.

Through those experiences, I came to understand much more deeply what Ellen G. White meant when she wrote that the health message is the “right arm of the gospel.” Often, it was the health lectures that opened doors and allowed me to share the gospel itself.

CONFLICT WITH LEADERS OF POLISH SDA CHURCH OVER THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST’S HUMANITY AND ULJ

Conversation with Roman Chalupka after his sermon in Szczecin

Forbidden to speak publicly, but Elder Trojanowski and Church members in Szczecin were always on my side.

Visit of President Robert Folkenberg and his careful answer to my question…

After I moved to Olsztyn, it got worse

Email to leaders and Polish pastors and many members regarding Janek Smyk’s unjust treatment in Pszczyna Church before moving to the UK.

Pastor Piotr Gradzikiewicz changed his attitude to my messages. Because he started reading. Others didn’t.

Also, Pastor Chalupka changed his attitude toward the message after Janek Smyk managed to convince him to read and listen to the recorded sermons.

HEALTH SHOP IN SZCZECIN

HOW THE SHOP WAS ESTABLISHED

LITERATURE

WORKING WITH JORDAN

HERBAL-MEDICAL & HEALTH FOOD SHOP IN OLSZTYN

When I was running a health shop in Olsztyn, Poland, a Seventh-day Adventist nurse came to me seeking advice about a patient in her hospital. Following thyroid surgery, the man had developed severe swelling in his neck, which had become life-threatening. Nothing the hospital had tried seemed to help.

At Living Springs, Lord gave me the opportunity to learn a lot about the great benefits of activated charcoal, so I suggested applying an activated charcoal compress to that patient’s neck. I explained to that sister, who was a nurse, how to prepare the mixture and how to apply it and although in the hospital is not easy to use natural remedies yet she had a good brave heart and with Lord’s blessing she managed to do it. And the very next day she returned to me, very excited, and told me that, to the amazement of everyone, after just one application, the swelling disappeared, and the man’s life was saved!

This experience reminds me of a much greater spiritual truth. Like the burning coal (or charcoal) that touched Isaiah’s lips and cleansed him from sin (Isaiah 6:6–7), Christ alone can cleanse our hearts from the deadly poison of sin.

CONVERSION OF MY CUSTOMER WHOM I GAVE GREAT CONTROVERSY. GOING THROUGH A PAINFUL EXPERIENCE, STARTED READING THE BOOK AFTER ABOUT 20 YEARS !!! ACEPPTED THE TRUTH AND JOINED THE SD ADVENTIST CHURCH IN POLAND. I WAS TOLD ABOUT IT BY ANDRZEJ WACLAWIK, WHO AT THAT TIME WAS AN ELDER IN OLSZTYN CHURCH.

HEALTH SEMINARS IN VILNIUS, LITHUANIA

When I was running a health shop in Poland, Brother Kosowski invited me to do a health seminar for the Polish community in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. I had the privilege there to work with Brother Zdzislaw Bogun, who was an evangelist there and took care of a small Polish Adventist group there.  I  remember a certain very obese gentleman who together with his wife participated in one of my health seminars. Everything he heard during those five days made sense to him and opened his eyes to the true cause of his obesity and other health problems such as coronary heart disease, chronic fatigue, high blood pressure, depression, or diabetes. He instantly decided to switch to a well-balanced, healthy and unrefined plant-based diet and to practice all other principles of the Optimal Health Recovery Plan. When, 6 months later, he came to listen to another series of my lectures, he was so slim and looked so different that I couldn’t recognise him. He said that on this normal-calorie plant-based diet, without fasting, counting calories, suffering from hunger, or skipping meals, he had lost 80 pounds (40 kilos) in 6 months! Every day he just ate 3 regular tasty and high in nutrients and fibre meals always satisfying his hunger. He also said that as a result of practising this new diet and lifestyle, he recovered from all other serious health problems such as chronic fatigue, coronary heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and depression, and he also greatly improved his emotional and physical well-being. Apart from enjoying a normal body weight, he was brimming with positive energy and health.

RUSSIAN WOMAN AND HER COW

ANOTHER EXPERIENCE IN VILNIUS

While in Vilnius, Lithuania, I met a Polish student living there who suffered from a condition called myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, often caused by a viral infection.

She wanted to attend my lectures, but she was feeling too sick to come, so she invited me to visit her.

As she had been unable to recover, someone had encouraged her to visit a bioenergy therapist. When she went to see this woman, she felt as though the therapist was doing something inside her mind.

After returning home, whenever she tried to read the Bible or pray, she would see an image of that woman in front of her and could not concentrate on either praying or reading.

It was only after a long period of fervent prayer that she finally recovered from this disturbing experience.

OTHER RECOVERY STORIES

To demonstrate the effectiveness of the remedies presented here from God’s pharmacy, let me share with you a written testimonial I received from one of our customers who recently recovered from diabetes and other health problems as a result of prayers, using natural remedies and implementing principles listed in the Health Recovery Plan: „Hello Slawek, Just want to give you an update on how I’m getting on with my health after being on your Health Recovery Plan for over six months. I’ve been signed off by my GP, as he said I have managed to reverse diabetes! I told him I had stopped taking the metformin a few months ago. Since then, my blood glucose level is normal. My kidneys are now working perfectly, and my blood pressure is normal too. Thank you very much, Alison T.”

Another customer – a black lady by the name of Anabella completely recovered from fibroids in her uterus as a result of implementing the principles of the Health Recovery Plan, as well as God’s blessing, followed by her and our prayers. After a few months of being on this plan, she went to the hospital to go through either a hysterectomy or the laparoscopic removal of the fibroids; the surprised doctor stated that it wasn’t necessary, as her uterus was clean!

During my long experience, I recommended the same plan to many people suffering from different types of cancer and those who managed to implement its principles often permanently recovered from cancer, including even some who were told their disease was terminal and were given a few months to live.

Read: detailed EFFECTIVE HEALTH RECOVERY PLAN

A young black lady by the name of Priscilla wrote the following testimonial after recovering from infertility: “I couldn’t get pregnant for about 1.5 years in spite of using different conventional methods and medical consultations. Apart from that, I was always tired and had some skin problems. I was told that probably hormonal imbalance was the key cause of the inability to get pregnant. Finally, I decided to use a natural therapy and herbal remedies so I visited the Healing Place health food shop and had a long conversation with Mr Slawek who suggested me to live according to the Health Recovery Plan, to go on a plant-based unrefined diet, drinking raw vegetable juices before meals, eating more raw vegetables, and avoid refined sugar, white flour products, caffeine, meat and dairy. Apart from that, he also recommended using some supplements, antioxidants and herbal remedies. As a result of improving my diet and using those natural remedies, I got rid of my fatigue and skin problems. But most importantly, after about three months, I got pregnant, and I’ve been carrying my baby for 5 months now without any problems! Thank you so much.”

From time to time in our Healing Place health shop, we meet customers who are diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy, a condition usually caused by prolonged high blood sugar levels, statins, and some other factors such as vitamin B12 deficiency. Any or all of those factors eventually lead to neurological damage and horrible pain (usually involving the feet). All those customers with peripheral neuropathy were repeatedly told they would never recover from that condition. In the case of one of them, the problem was so severe that he couldn’t even walk, so he sent his daughter asking for help in reducing pain. As a result of implementing the Health Recovery Plan, including improved lifestyle and use of different powerful natural remedies, supplements and phytochemicals, all of them recovered in about 1 to 2 months. One of them even said he didn’t believe he could recover, as he suffered from that “incurable” problem for many years, but eventually even he was completely pain-free after a few months.

Some time ago, a young black lady visited our Healing Place Health Shop and asked for a consultation. She was diagnosed with eczema, chronic fatigue and infertility. She couldn’t get pregnant for almost two years in spite of going through numerous professional medical consultations and using various conventional treatments and medications. After two years, she lost her patience and decided to try some alternative methods and herbal remedies. After she explained everything, I encouraged her to implement the principles of the Health Recovery Plan and use herbal remedies, supergrasses and good-quality nutritional supplements. As a result, she recovered not only from her chronic fatigue and skin problems but also from her infertility. After about three months, she was very happy as she finally got pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby.

Just recently I’ve received a message from Esther, who is doing very well as a result of improving her diet and using some herbal remedies and nutritional supplements: “Dear Swavak, I just wanted to let you know that since my visit to the health shop, I have changed my diet as well as taking on board all the advice you gave me. I feel so much better now than I did before. I don’t get any headaches any more, and the breathlessness I felt before is gone. I have been eating a lot of salads and no meat. I just wanted to ask for more advice on how to improve my memory and focus, which has been greatly affected in the past few months due to the amitriptyline medication I was taking. I really appreciate your help. Kind regards, Esther M.” To improve her memory and focus, I suggested she should try Chlorella and Methylcobalamin (B12). She bought them in our shop and soon sent me another message confirming the effectiveness.

Many of our female customers greatly improved their health or even completely recovered from PMS and other problems associated with hormonal imbalance and painful, irregular or heavy menstruation. For instance, I remember one gentleman by the name Andy who wanted to get rid of his tiredness, so I suggested him to avoid coffee, black tea, chocolate, pizza, cheese, sugar and other refined foods and to include in his diet more raw vegetable salads and some other unrefined raw and nutrient-rich foods. In addition, I recommended that he get one of the highest in energy-boosting chlorophyll supergrasses together with a good-quality multivitamin-mineral formula. But there was another problem which bothered him more than his fatigue. He worried about his wife, who normally was a very peaceful and very kind, loving person, but whenever her menstruation was about to start, she behaved “like a beast”, he said, impossible to live with. So after explaining how he could overcome his caffeine addiction, I also suggested some lifestyle improvements and herbal remedies for his wife that were aimed at regulating her progesterone imbalance. The same day, after closing the shop, we mentioned him and his wife in our prayers, as we have a custom of asking loving God to bless our customers and their efforts to recover from different conditions. After some time, I met Andy again and was very happy to hear that he managed to greatly reduce his caffeine intake. But the most important good news was that as soon as his wife started taking the herbal remedies, she never experienced the PMS symptoms any more, and again she is the same kind and loving wife she used to be!

There are also many ladies who are very successful in reducing or even eliminating the horrible menopause symptoms as a result of changing their dietary customs and using free-from-side-effects remedies we recommended in our Healing Place health shop. It is very interesting that some of those ladies are somehow free from symptoms in spite of the fact that their estrogen-producing ovaries were previously removed!

A certain lady who constantly suffered from severe pain caused by her sciatica was recommended by her friend to visit our shop to ask for some advice. About two weeks after her first visit, she told me she was completely free from pain as a result of improving her diet and taking Clean Greens as well as some other powerful remedies recommended by us.

Another customer, aged about 35, with gout in his ankle told me his pain was gone in just two days after I suggested he use hydrotherapy, Clean Greens (Pukka), Cherry Active, and avoid dairy, meat, bad fats and refined products, including sugar. He also mentioned that normally he was able to reduce the pain no earlier than after 7 days of treatment, but this time it was unusually quick.

A black gentleman asked for something to increase testosterone levels. I suggested he take Chlorella, Maca, Zinc supplements, and Active Man (Nature’s Aid). After two weeks of using those supplements, he said the testosterone level went up, and he also started feeling way better due to increased energy levels.

MOVING TO THE UNITED KINGDOM

In 2005, I decided to move to the United Kingdom. By God’s grace, I have continued trying to do the same work here — sharing the wonderful truth of salvation in Christ — while also pursuing further education.

HEALING PLACE

RECOVERED FROM INFERTILITY AFTER 13 YEARS! A 42-year-old lady by the name of Mecklin called me and said that after being infertile for 13 years and trying everything (including various medications and alternative therapies), she finally got pregnant after doing what I told her months ago. She stopped medication and was continuously taking the products recommended by me: Femmevit (HealthAid), Serrapeptase 250,000 IU capsules (must be enteric-coated), Magnesium citrate powder (half teaspoon twice daily), Methylcobalamin B12 (2000 mcg daily after breakfast) and Vitamin D3 – 5,000 IU daily. She combined these supplements with an improved diet and lifestyle. She is finally pregnant and very happy, asking what to do to maintain a healthy pregnancy. In addition, she also told me she had recovered from thyroid problems.

A young black lady by the name of Priscilla wrote the following testimonial after recovering from infertility: “I couldn’t get pregnant for about 1.5 years in spite of using different conventional methods and medical consultations. Apart from that, I was always tired and had some skin problems. I was told that probably hormonal imbalance was the key cause of the inability to get pregnant. Finally, I decided to use a natural therapy and herbal remedies, so I visited the Healing Place health food shop and had a long conversation with Mr. Swavak who suggested me to live according to the Health Recovery Plan, to go on a plant-based unrefined diet, drinking raw vegetable juices before meals, eating more raw vegetables, and avoid refined sugar, white flour products, caffeine, meat and dairy. Apart from that, he also recommended using some supplements, antioxidants and herbal remedies. As a result of improving my diet and using those natural remedies, I got rid of my fatigue and skin problems. But most importantly, after about three months I got pregnant, and I’ve been carrying my baby for 5 months now without any problems! Thank you so much.”

REACHING LONDON: A SIMPLE AND EASY WAY TO SHARE THE TRUTH

After many years as a Seventh-day Adventist Church Christian, I can honestly say that reading The Great Controversy and accepting the biblical truths I discovered in that book was one of the greatest blessings of my life. It led me to the Word of God, to prayer, to freedom from destructive habits, and to a deep inner peace that I had never known before.

A few years ago, I started repeatedly watching and listening to Pastor Pavel Goia’s sermons on prayer (available on YouTube), and they completely changed my attitude to prayer. I began spending much more time in fervent prayer— surrendering everything to God and focusing more on others. Within just a couple of weeks, God started answering my prayers in ways I had never experienced. It was during this time that I felt inspired to create a leaflet to help people find the book Great Controversy.

Since then, I’ve printed and distributed about 60,000 leaflets across London! I also distribute books like Steps to Christ and The Desire of Ages, along with health magazines (all ordered monthly from adventbooks.org). I tuck the leaflets into books and leave them on free book shelves at train stations and supermarkets like Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury’s. The leaflets I usually drop through letterboxes going from home to home.

I want to encourage you to try this kind of deep, surrendered prayer for yourself. When we truly seek God, He gives us a passion to reach others. Please take a moment to read this leaflet—it points to truths that have the power to change lives, just as they changed mine. The message found in the book The Great Controversy began my own conversion process in Poland in 1963.

“The Great Controversy should be very widely circulated. It contains the story of the past, the present, and the future. I am more anxious to see a wide circulation for this book than for any others I have written; for in The Great Controversy, the last message of warning to the world is given more distinctly than in any of my other books.” Colporteur Ministry, p. 127

“The books, ‘Great Controversy,’ ‘Steps to Christ,’ and ‘Desire of Ages’ should be scattered like the leaves of autumn.” Manuscript 24, 1903

“Publications upon health reform will reach many who will not see or read anything upon important Bible subjects… The light upon health reform is as the right arm of the third angel’s message.” Manuscript 58, 1901

ELLEN G. WHITE AND HER WRITINGS

Sadly, many evangelical Christians strongly condemn Ellen G. White and her writings. Yet very often they do so without ever having carefully read books such as The Great Controversy, The Desire of Ages, or Steps to Christ for themselves.

Thinking about such people, I can only repeat the prayer of our dying Lord: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

The Desire of Ages is the most beautiful book ever written on the life of Christ. It has been highly praised by renowned Christian leaders and theologians across Protestant denominations for its devotional depth, spiritual insight, and vivid portrayals of Jesus.

Billy Graham recognised the profound spiritual value of Ellen G. White’s writings on the life of Christ, keeping her books in his personal library and utilising their rich Christological insights. His legacy organisation has publicly shared quotes from her work for devotional purposes. Though Graham belonged to the Southern Baptist Convention, he maintained a deep respect for Seventh-day Adventist authors and frequently spoke of Ellen White’s strong defence of orthodox Christian themes—such as the atoning sacrifice of Christ and salvation by grace.

The renowned Christian broadcaster and news commentator, Paul Harvey, occasionally quoted from Ellen White’s writings on his national radio show, expressing admiration for her practical wisdom.

Dr T. M. Anderson, prominent 20th-century interdenominational revivalist and theologian (author of Prayer Availeth Much), frequently commended The Desire of Ages alongside classic holiness literature.

Dr D. James Kennedy, the influential Presbyterian pastor and other influential Christian ministers and speakers regarded The Desire of Ages as a masterpiece of devotional literature, noting that out of thousands of books in the Library of Congress on the life of Jesus, it remains one of the most requested.

GOD’S GUIDANCE THROUGHOUT MY LIFE

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