Adventist volunteers talked about healthy lifestyles to convicted women and cadets :: Adventist News Network

Dec 29, 2017
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Tver, Russia
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Andrey Semyonov, Euro-Asia Division

Meetings on healthy lifestyle and the dangers of addiction were held in various educational institutions and women’s prison in the Tver region of Russia. The leadership of these institutions expressed their desire to cooperate with Adventist youths, whose interesting lectures, softened hearts frozen with pain and make the world lighter and kinder for those listening.

For two days, Adventist volunteers Roman Sedov and Sergey Smirnov, conducted six healthy lifestyle programs in Tver region- at the Suvorov Military School, the Academy of Agriculture, the College of Service and Tourism, the School No. 10, and at the Vyshny Volochok women’s prison.

At the Tver Suvorov Military School, Sergey Smirnov gave a lecture on “Principles of a healthy lifestyle against harmful habits” as an introductory program.

At the set time, minute by minute, promptly and in strict order, the cadets, under the guidance of mentor-officers, settled in the hall. Four companies attended the lecture (over 400 people). The cadets listened to the lecture with interest. Real conversations with vivid life examples, convincing slides and even an experiment in which daredevils could participate, attracted the genuine interest of the young men. And since the speaker’s lecture was based on facts and objective arguments, the school’s management suggested that Sergey Smirnov conduct another series of lectures in the future.

Late last month, volunteers together with the head of the educational work of the Office of the Federal Penitentiary Service, went to Vyshny Volochok women’s correctional facility with a program on moral and family values and the prevention against harmful habits.

“While singing to the guitar, I told the assembled women about my life. The most interesting thing happened after the program. Among the prisoners I got to know Oksana, a girl who maintains correspondence with Adventists,” said Roman Sedov. “For her, this meeting was an unexpected miracle. That day she was supposed to be working at the factory. But her friend recognized me from the photos I sent along with the letters. The woman ran out of the club in order to quickly find Oksana. After all, a joke! We spent so much time chatting then suddenly, came straight to the “heart” of the zone- to the club! The friend stood in for Oksana at work so she could meet with us.”

This was such an important meeting for Oksana herself, she says in an excerpt from her letter.  “Usually all girls present at such events are not enthusiastic at all. But November 23rd became an exception! After the club, I heard responses from all parts of the zone- in the smoking room, in the detachments, in the toilets- for two more days,” she writes. “They all told each other about the kind of guys who went to them. About how you can change your life! And at these moments I wanted to approach them and say that I know them. And I approached some and told them… generally, everything turned out great. And, of course, you will be impatiently awaited again”

Although it is not known whether anyone quit smoking from among those who attended the program (after all, most of it was devoted to this habit), but the volunteers brought a token of kindness to this place that softens the hearts frozen with pain and makes the world lighter and kinder.