The Right Hand Touches Lives (edit, back)
07/10/2017
Heidi’s Health Kitchen (HHK) was established in June 2014, in an effort to produce healthy, delicious, plant-based foods and desserts, as well as to educate people on the health benefits of plant-based foods, natural remedies, temperance, and the gospel through cooking classes, health workshops, and Bible study. Health, and the health that God desires for us spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally, is at the center of all that we do.
In the Spirit of Prophecy, emphasis is placed upon the value of the health food work as a soul-winning agency, and everything that we do is centered around that principle. Heidi’s Health Kitchen has entered this work to bring about opportunities for people to learn the truth of God’s life-giving, life-saving plans for each of us, through the knowledge and use of delicious plant-based foods.
Through God’s providence, as the founders, we, Ivan Raj and Heidi Liv Tompkins, have several years of work experience in people management, sales, marketing, business development, and business, and both have a burden for souls—to be co-laborers with Christ to draw people into His kingdom. When HHK began operations, Heidi had fifteen Bible students with whom she was studying. Since the inception of HHK, our single objective has been—through delicious, plant-based, healthy, and delicious foods—to make friends with our patrons and then point them to Christ.
In 2014, the personal ministries leader of our church asked us to conduct cooking demonstrations for the community on a monthly basis. This expanded into offering quarterly hands-on cooking programs in Manhattan, and as a result, we have come across several Bible study interests and have been able to share our faith. In some instances, we have even begun weekly Bible studies with these attendees. During the monthly and quarterly cooking programs, the attendees are offered Adventist health literature to take home and read. In addition, the attendees also have the opportunity to sign up for Bible studies. Through these efforts, HHK and the church have had a wonderful opportunity to share insights with the community on health and the “everlasting gospel,” as well.
Earlier this year, a young attendee who had left the Adventist Church and wanted to learn how to prepare healthy plant-based foods, registered for HHK’s cooking class held at a gourmet commercial kitchen in NYC. This young woman had no idea when she registered for the class that HHK is an Adventist-operated business. She enjoyed the foods that she learned to make and was pleasantly surprised at our innovation as Bible workers. She gave excellent feedback toward the end of the cooking class, and asked us to “keep her in the loop” for any future events, saying that she would be interested in attending and meeting with us again.
Another special experience this year was when a couple who had watched our HHK interview on 3ABN signed up for a hands-on cooking class. During the class, the husband and wife mentioned that they were from a Baptist background and were “looking to attend an Adventist church” and expressed that they had some questions about Adventist doctrines. Praise God, Ivan immediately followed up with Bible studies and answered their questions, providing a roadmap for their baptisms.
In 2016, in addition to the on-going cooking classes and demonstrations, the Lord opened doors for HHK to operate “pop-up” restaurants in two locations, Manhattan and Babylon, New York. At these “pop-up” restaurants, HHK serves Indian and American cuisines while sacred music plays in the background, and provides the patrons with Adventist literature—all done with the help of a dedicated and consecrated Adventist staff.
As we operate our pop-up restaurants, we continually notice that God often sends former Adventists our way, giving them an opportunity to reconnect with the church through our ministry. One person had left the church during her early 20s and was brought into contact with us through a friend of one of our Bible students. She emphatically said that she had not experienced such tasty and delicious vegetarian food since she had been in the Adventist Church, and was pleasantly surprised to be brought into contact with Adventists once again.
As we continue to “Share Christ in the Marketplace” in and around NYC, Heidi’s Health Kitchen continues to be engaged in Bible work, both on a personal level and through involvement with church evangelism efforts. In the months of March and April, we had the privilege of volunteering to conduct Bible work for an evangelistic series in the Bronx that resulted in the baptism of over 50 souls! We consider it an inestimable joy to work for the Lord!
