The International Paper for Seventh-day Adventists
Au g u s t 2013
7 Success Secrets
of
What Russia’s business leaders taught me about success 20
Two Missionaries–
Worlds Apart
33
Infidelity
In Disguise
Names, Names, Names
42
North American Division | n a d
Aug ust 2 013 C O V E R
The International Paper for Seventh-day Adventists
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Augus t 2 013
S T O R Y
7 Secrets of Success
Andrew McChesney
ome of Russia’s most prominent S business leaders may not know it, but their secrets of success come straight from the Bible.
7 Success Secrets
of
What Russia’s business leaders taught me about success 20
Two Missionaries–
33
Worlds Apart
8
Infidelity
In Disguise
Names, Names, Names
42
W O R L D
A D V E N T I S T
S T O R Y
By Carol Tasker
God’s varied miracles in the Adventist work in the South Pacific
28
D E V O T I O N A L
Yvonne
V I S T A
By Oliver L. Jacques
The fragile link between the past and the future
Being Transformed By Ted N. C. Wilson
30 In the Beginning God Created F U N D A M E N T A L
Adventist education serves both God and humanity.
B E L I E F S
Missionaries—Worlds Apart 20 Two A D V E N T I S T
22
T H E
A Packet of Seeds and Kingdom Principles
L I F E
By Gary Tetz
Patients a half world away benefit from the medical mission of White Memorial Medical Center.
By Ronny Nalin
It starts and ends with Him.
N A D F E A T U R E Reaching the World On Our Doorstep
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By Terri Saelee
A ministry for immigrants has global effects.
D E PA RT M E N T S 3 W O R L D
3 6 10 11 14 17 18
R E P O R T
News Briefs News Feature GLOW Stories NAD News NAD Update NAD Perspective NAD Letters
19 W O R L D H E A L T H Where’s the Balance? S P 33
I R I T O F P R O P H E C Y
Infidelity in Disguise
www.adventistworld.org Available in 13 languages online
42 B I B L E Q U E S T I O N S Names, Names, Names 43 B I B L E S T U D Y Living With Uncertainty 44
I D E A
E X C H A N G E
On the cover: Moscow cityscape as seen by night.
The Adventist World® (ISSN 1557-5519), one of the Adventist Review® family of publications, is printed monthly by the Review and Herald® Publishing Association. Copyright © 2013. Send address changes to Adventist World, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740. For information about advertising, contact Glen Gohlke, 301-393-3054 (ggohlke@rhpa.org). PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Vol. 9, No. 8, August 2013.
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WORLD REPORT
Visually Impaired Adventist
Is New Jamaican
Senate Leader ■■ Floyd Morris made history in Jamaica’s parliament when he became the first visually impaired person appointed president of the Jamaican senate, parliament’s upper house. The 44-year-old Seventh-day Adventist Church member is well known in the Caribbean island nation for his advocacy on behalf of the disabled community. In his address during his May 17, 2013, swearing-in ceremony, ADVOCATE FOR THE DISABLED: Floyd Morris quoted Micah 6:8, Morris is the first visually impaired the memory verse of the Seventhpresident of the Jamaican Senate. He day Adventist quarterly lesson for is an Adventist Church member and has the past week: “He has shown you, advocated for the disabled community. O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” In an interview Morris said the appointment was proof of God’s faithfulness, and it came despite years of uncertainty about his life’s direction. “What has transpired has proven to me once more that my God is real,” he said. Jamaica’s prime minister, the Most Honourable Portia SimpsonMiller, said in an interview that she has “always admired Senator Morris’ strong sense of ethics, discipline, and principled conduct.” “I think the senate will benefit tremendously from his leadership, and I have no doubt he will continue to be an inspiration to many, both here in Jamaica and across the globe,” Simpson-Miller said. Morris hosts the radio program Seeing From a Different Perspective, and jogs each workday with the aid of his driver. He became Jamaica’s first blind senator in 1998. Morris began losing his sight at age 17 as a result of glaucoma, and went completely blind six years later. He gained assistance from the Jamaica Society for the Blind, where he learned to read and write braille. He has since completed a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and a master’s degree in philosophy of government. He is now pursuing a Ph.D. in political communication. “Persons with disability must realize that we are living in an era O b s e r v e r
he was one of the most successful women I’ve known, but she rarely had money to put a full tank of fuel in the car or adequate food on her table. She had a bright, inquiring mind, but many of those to whom she ministered never grasped her skill with words or playfulness with language. Her thought could penetrate the deep things of God, exploring texts and prophecies with clarity and force. But it is love, not logic, she is still remembered for. I can’t forget the sight of Judy walking slowly toward her aging car each Sabbath after worship services. Usually alone, she would eat cold sandwiches and fruit, pausing only long enough to collect her thoughts before the afternoon of ministry ahead of her. Ten miles and 30 minutes away she would begin her every-Sabbath-afternoon routine. In winter it meant clearing snow off the cracked sidewalk that led to the tiny sanctuary, and lighting the oil-burning stove; in summer, opening the windows and chasing out the wasps. By 3:00 a round of visits had begun, picking up the elderly and unsteady in her car, helping them up the steep stairs. Judy was the chorister. Judy was the Sabbath school teacher. Judy was the preacher three weeks out of four, off-duty only when an ordained pastor—like me— would come. And then, of course, she took each member back home when Sabbath services were done. Month in, month out; year in, year out, this saint redrew my picture of success. Her name will never grace a large endowment for the poor, for she was frequently among them. Her thought will never be collected in a book of wisdom for the ages, for it was, like her Savior, mostly stories that she told. Success for Judy was faithfulness, a patient following of Jesus amid the poor, the elderly, the marginalized. I honor her, as do the dozens whom she blessed. As you read this month’s cover meditation on success, remember to affirm those whom heaven applauds—like Judy.
J u n i o r / J a m a i c a
S
N a p h ta l i
Heaven Applauds
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Adventist Pastor Elected Swiss Bible Society President ■■ Delegates of the Swiss Bible Society elected Seventh-day Adventist theologian Reto Mayer as the organization’s president during their May 24, 2013, meeting, making him the first Adventist appointed to the post in the society’s 58-year history. Mayer, an associate treasurer of the Adventist world church’s Inter-European Division, based in Bern, Switzerland, has served as the society’s vice president since 2005. The Adventist Church joined the society in 1982.
SBS
■■ Kenya’s high court has issued an interim order for public schools to exempt Seventh-day Adventist students from attending classes on Saturday, the day Adventists observe as the biblical Sabbath. The immediate order comes during a case involving the Adventist Church’s Kenya Union Mission against the Ministry of Education and 26 schools said not to be following the constitutional
guarantee of practicing one’s religion. “We as leaders of the Kenya Union are happy and satisfied with the court case’s progress now that the educational institutional leaders will respect the constitution and stop denying Adventist students public service that the government intends to offer all Kenyans,” said Samuel Makori, executive secretary of the Kenya Union. “We hope the judge will rule in our favor because we are asking for what is provided in the bill of rights in our constitution.” Makori said church leaders took the matter to court in July of 2012 only after extensive diplomatic efforts didn’t work. “We engaged Adventist lawyers who handled the case both with patriotism and loyalty to their country,” he said. Makori told The Standard newspaper that several students have been suspended at public schools for not attending classes and exams held on Saturday. “We paid legal expenses from church money so we could obtain justice for our young people,” he later said. Seventh-day Adventists observe the biblical Sabbath from sunset on Fridays to sunset on Saturdays. Steve Bina, communication director for the Adventist Church’s EastCentral Africa Division, said he hoped the ruling would be an example for other countries to follow. Bina said Adventist students in several other countries within the division are experiencing similar problems with some public school officials. —reported by Adventist News Network
c o u r t e s y
Kenya’s Adventist Students Get Sabbath Off, High Court Rules
BIBLE SOCIETY LEADER: Reto Mayer, right, was appointed as president of the Swiss Bible Society on May 24. The society promotes Bible translation and distribution in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
f i l e A N N
SABBATH VICTORY: A union in the East-Central Africa Division has received an interim favorable ruling that exempts Adventist from attending classes and exams on Saturdays. A division spokesman said he hopes other countries in the region will follow suit.
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where opportunities for the empowerment of people with disabilities are vastly improving, especially within the context of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities,” he said. He added that one of the main goals of this parliamentary year is the passing of the National Disability Act, which he has championed since 1998. Everett Brown, president of the Adventist Church in Jamaica, said the nearly 275,000-strong membership in the country was justly proud of Morris’ appointment. “Despite his visual handicap, Senator Morris has always demonstrated his faith in God and strong Christian will to achieve, despite the odds,” Brown said. “We are sure that his commitment to his Christian ideals, coupled with his love for the Jamaican people, and his impeccable character, will enable him to serve the senate with distinction.” Roughly 10 percent of Jamaica’s population is Adventist, and members hold prominent posts throughout government and business. Adventist Church member Sir Patrick Allen is the nation’s governor-general. —reported by Nigel Coke, Jamaica Union
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WORLD REPORT
Ongoing Adventist Aid to Syrian Refugees Includes Women’s Clinic, School ■■ The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has offered assistance to hundreds of refugee families fleeing the ongoing conflict in Syria with a targeted focus on unregistered refugees, an agency official said. Over the past year ADRA has offered cash assistance to more than 100 families to help cover rent in neighboring Jordan, said Thierry Van Bignoot, ADRA’s director of emergency management.
i n t e r n at i o n a l A d r a o f c o u r t e s y P h o t o s
“I hope that people see [the Bible] as an invitation from God, inviting them to live a personal relationship with Him,” Mayer told the Swiss Bible Society in a May 24, 2013, interview. “The distribution of the Bible is close to my heart, so it’s a pleasure for me to participate in this work.” The Swiss Bible Society was founded in 1955 succeeding the former coalition of Swiss Bible Societies. Today the society has 45 members, among others, cantonal evangelicalreformed churches, the Old-Catholic Church, independent evangelical churches, cantonal Bible societies, Christian societies, and working groups in Switzerland that share the society’s charter of Bible distribution. The society promotes standards for translation, production, and distribution of Bibles in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Swiss Bible Society works with more than 146 national Bible societies united as the global United Bible Societies to bring the Bible in easy and modern language and form closer to the people.
Left: NEEDED SUPPLIES: ADRA provided winter kits to thousands of Syrian refugees at the Za’atari refugee camp in Mafraq Governorate in Jordan. Here, workers unload supplies in January 2013. Right: FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: The Adventist Development and Relief Agency helped Syrian refugees with cash assistance for shelter in neighboring Jordan. Here, an ADRA worker dispenses funds.
The agency also partnered with the government of Germany to distribute winter clothing to some 3,500 families living in the Al Zaatari refugee camp in Mafraq Governorate in Jordan. For two years refugees have fled Syria’s civil war, which has killed more than 90,000 people, according to the United Nations. More than 1.5 million people have fled—many to Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. Van Bignoot said ADRA estimates the number of refugees is higher because many have not registered. “Some people are afraid to give their names for fear of retribution,” Van Bignoot said. The agency last year partnered with ADRA Middle East North Africa and the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization to offer 100 Jordanian dinars (approximately US$140) each month for three months to unregistered families for lodging. Many are staying with designated host families, while some have found basement rooms or small apartments. The assistance helped people such as Amara, who told local ADRA officials that she came to Jordan with her five children while her ex-husband
remained in Syria with his new wife. With the extra cash she was able to pay rent for an unfurnished and unheated apartment. She said she was also able to buy some necessary medication for her heart problems. Another recipient was a man named Musa, who came to Jordan with his wife and six children. Their finances have been depleted since they sold the last of their gold jewelry that they had brought from home. ADRA has identified other needs in the region and is now implementing a project to provide gynecological and obstetrical care to Syrian refugee women in West Bekaa, Lebanon. In Beirut the agency is planning a school that would provide half-day classes to refugee children, who are without education. Another project proposes a mobile clinic in the Jordan Valley, an area where few nongovernmental organizations are involved. “The needs are huge,” Van Bignoot said. He estimated that more than 70 percent of refugees are women and children. Many men have stayed behind in Syria, he said. —reported by Ansel Oliver, Adventist News Network
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WORLD REPORT By Mark A. Kellner, news editor
Inter-American Adventists Learn
Loss Prevention,
Risk Management Strategies More than buying insurance, key is protecting church’s mission, members, workers
S
ay that 240 Seventh-day Adventist administrators from the InterAmerican Division (IAD) gathered for a conference on risk management and don’t be surprised to get a few yawns in response. Could there be a less-interesting topic? some might ask. But explain that the delegates— from 37 countries and territories spanning Mexico, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean— learned how to protect the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in their communities, and a subject first thought of as boring might actually become riveting. The three-day seminar, organized by church-owned Adventist Risk Management (ARM) was held, at the IAD’s suggestion, at the General Conference world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. Delegates were presented with a variety of seminars on safety, liability issues, protecting children and young people, and, yes, insurance. But holding an insurance policy is not the answer to risk management, said Arthur F. Blinci, an ARM vice president and the firm’s chief risk management officer. “Insurance is the broom that comes to clean up the mess after the loss has occurred,” Blinci said. “If somebody’s lost their life because of the negligence of the supervision of an activity, no
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amount of dollars will bring that life back,” he added, explaining why loss prevention is so important. Bancroft Barwise, treasurer of the Jamaica Union Conference in Mandeville, Jamaica, said that minimizing risk and preventing losses is central to managing the work of a church that counts nearly 275,000 Jamaicans as members—a substantial percentage in the island nation. “The fewer losses you sustain, the more money there is for the mission of the church,” Barwise said. In Jamaica, he added, the Seventh-day Adventist Church can “least afford losses, given our [national] economic situation,” which has been plagued by an uneven economy in recent years. And it’s not just the swings in the economy that concern Adventist leaders in Jamaica; the weather is another factor. “We anticipate hurricanes every year,” Barwise said, “and they’re getting more and more violent.” He added that the church is also concerned about hurricane damage to members’ homes as well as individuals’ safety. Barwise said that as a union treasurer, he often links risk management with stewardship in presentations to local conferences and churches, since both are important ways of managing resources for ministry.
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ATTENTIVE HEARERS: Delegates from the Inter-American Division pay close attention to presentations at the IAD/Adventist Risk Management Conference held at the General Conference Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.
“This event has given me tools and made me more aware of potential dangers and preventative measures,” Barwise said. “It’s made me more proactive since our country is one with a lot of risks” in terms of churches built in danger-prone areas. He said he was “very concerned about the potential for loss of life” and how to mitigate that risk. At the Central American Adventist University in Alajuela, Costa Rica, risks and insurance needs are different—and growing—according to Carlos Cima, the school’s financial affairs vice president. The school’s 400 students are largely from Central America, but are now including those from South America and the United States seeking a quality education at a lower price. Since there is no government health insurance for the students, the school needs to provide this on its own, Cima said. “It’s very helpful to know more on how to prevent loss and take responsibility over the assets of the church and how to protect our students against different risks,” he told Adventist World. Florencio Suarez, treasurer of the Central Mexican Union, said the ARM seminar gave him insights into two areas: information and influence. He said, “We need information to see what has happened in the past so
From left to right: CONFERENCE ORGANIZER: Arthur F. Blinci, vice president and chief risk management officer for ARM, organized the IAD conference. IMPORTANT TASK: Bancroft Barwise, treasurer of the Jamaica Union Conference in Mandeville, Jamaica, said minimizing risk and preventing losses is central to managing the work of a church that counts 275,000 Jamaicans as members. DIFFERENT NEEDS: Carlos Cima, financial affairs vice president for the Central American Adventist University in Alajeula, Costa Rica, said risks and insurance needs are different for educational institutions. INSIGHTS FOUND: Florencio Suarez, treasurer of the Central Mexican Union, said the ARM seminar gave him insights into two areas: “information and influence.”
we can learn and train local church leaders at every level to deal with any risk that may affect the church’s work.” Suarez continued: “Because of these meetings, I understand that we need to extend leadership’s influence at every level of the church. We need to have moral authority for those who serve and belong to the church, so we can take care of our members, who are
of the highest value.” Such sentiments reflect ARM’s philosophy, as articulated by Bob Kyte, the company’s president: “Everything we talk about is ministry,” he told attendees as the conference opened. “I tell people that our ministry is protecting yours.” Adventist Risk Management, Inc., is the risk management company for
the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the largest global denomination headquartered in the Washington, D.C., area. It provides risk management services and insurance product solutions to assist the church in eliminating oversights that can lead to costly accidents. ARM employs 130 people around the world, and is online at www.adventistrisk.org. n
Cooper Offers Leadership Lessons LEADERSHIP PRESENTER: Seventh-day Adventist pastor Lowell Cooper, a general vice president of the world church who also leads the Adventist Risk Management board, speaks to IAD delegates about leadership during the June 2013 conference. One of the most popular series of presentations during the IAD ARM conference was the series by Seventhday Adventist pastor Lowell Cooper, who chairs the ARM board and also is a general vice president of the world church.
Speaking on several aspects of leadership, Cooper began with “A Leader’s Code of Conduct,” saying leadership is not only about “how you do things, but also what kind of person you are.” He challenged his hearers to ask themselves, “What kind of person does God call me to be?” In this initial one-hour presentation, Cooper stressed seven elements of that code: humility, integrity, trust, respect, accountability, collaboration, and excellence. Regarding integrity, Cooper said, “It takes the inner life to anchor the public life,” noting that a “crisis does not develop character; it reveals character. Character is developed in the quiet moments of our lives.” Echoing business thinker Stephen
M. R. Covey, son of the late Seven Habits author, Cooper noted that “trust is the most important trait in the leadership of voluntary organizations. “One local problem could metastasize across an organization,” he said. “Leaders, we have to act in ways to build trust in the church.” And on the subject of excellence, Cooper urged his hearers that the “motivation is not rivalry to be the best, but because God’s work merits excellence.” “The presentation from Pastor Cooper was very much to the point about our leadership and doing out best,” said Carlos Cima, financial vice president of the Central American Adventist University.
—M ark A. K ellner
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W O R L D
V I S T A
Being
By Ted N. C. Wilson
Transformed Why Adventist Education Exists
T
he Times Higher Education (THE) magazine, based in London, is a trusted authority on higher education around the world. Each year, THE publishes the “World University Rankings,” the “only global university performance tables to judge world-class universities across all of their core missions— teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook.”1 Well-known names top the list: University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford. . . These institutions have a long history of providing outstanding educational opportunities and producing world-class leaders. Numerous Nobel prizes in chemistry, physics, medicine, literature, and peace have been awarded to those associated with these high-ranking educational institutions. Leaders in government, finance, science, philosophy, and other disciplines have graduated from these highly competitive, prestigious schools. These well-known educational institutions are united in their goals of serving society as centers of higher learning, advancing knowledge and research, and challenging their students to develop their full “intellectual and human potential.”2
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Our Purpose
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is also deeply committed to quality education. With its 7,883 schools, colleges, and universities, we have the largest Protestant educational system in the world. Why should we make such an investment in education? Simply put, it is because we want our children, youth, and adults to gain more than what the world can offer them. “Higher than the highest human thought can reach is God’s ideal for His children,” writes Ellen White in the book Education (p. 18). “The world has had its great teachers, men of giant intellect and extensive research, men whose utterances have stimulated thought and opened to view vast fields of knowledge; . . . there is One who stands higher than they. . . . Every gleam of thought, every flash of the intellect, is from the Light of the world” (ibid., pp. 13, 14). While the educational systems of the world seek to impart knowledge, Seventh-day Adventist education seeks to acquaint students with the Source of all knowledge. While the world hypothesizes about origins, we teach that “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1) Adventist education provides a meaningful worldview built around
Adventist World - nad | August 2013
Creation, the Fall, redemption, and re-creation, and is derived from the Bible and the inspired counsel of Ellen G. White. Within the context of this worldview, students are encouraged to develop and grow in a wholistic way— spiritually, physically, intellectually, and socially. Service to God and others is emphasized. Restoration of the image of God in every human being is the object of education and life. It strengthens character, fortifies the mind against evil, and prepares the learner for service to God and others. The Core Mission
Within a decade of the formal organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, our church’s founders realized the importance of a divinely balanced education built on the principles of God’s Word, and the imperative of educating children and youth to exert an influence for God in the world. Foremost in projecting the vision of Adventist education was Ellen White, who outlined a visionary yet practical philosophy and mission for Adventist education in her 30-page essay “Proper Education” (1872). She later expanded this work in her books Education (1903) and Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students (1913).
We want our children, youth, and adults to gain more than what the world can offer them. The core Adventist philosophy is that education should be redemptive, for the purpose of restoring human beings to the image of God. Basic Seventh-day Adventist understanding is that the foundation of all true education is a knowledge of God. Mental, physical, social, and spiritual health, intellectual growth, and service to humanity are the essential core values. By focusing on the important mission of providing a biblically based, wholistic, mission-driven educational experience, Seventh-day Adventist education has grown from a small church school in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1872, to a worldwide network of 7,883 schools, colleges, and universities today. Millions of students ranging from prekindergarten through doctoral level have benefited from their Adventist educational experience, and many have gone on to serve the world as medical professionals, teachers, pastors, relief workers, business professionals, and in other service-oriented capacities. Small or Large
While we know that education begins in the home, it is important for the local church to understand that young people aren’t just children of their parents—they are children of the
church. When a church can collectively assist its children, that’s a magnificent thing! I would encourage congregations to provide educational assistance to students who want to attend a Seventh-day Adventist school. Whenever possible, I encourage churches to have their own local church school—even if it is just a oneroom school. I attended the first grade in a small church school in Beirut, Lebanon, where I learned the basic skills of a student. It has been shown that small and multigrade schools actually produce very good scholars, and that students aren’t educationally deprived in what may appear to be a limited arrangement. In more recent years there has been a lessening of commitment to make certain that a Seventh-day Adventist education is available for every Adventist student. As of 2012 the ratio of baptized members to Seventh-day Adventist students in Adventist schools was only four students per 100 members.3 Let’s renew the creative ways to encourage our own Adventist students to receive the many benefits of receiving a Seventh-day Adventist education— even if it means creating a one-room school. In areas where there are many Adventist schools, it may not be prac-
tical for every church in the area to have its own school. For example, the church where I attend—Triadelphia, in Clarksville, Maryland—doesn’t have its own church school. However, we offer a subsidy to all church members whose children are attending a local church school, so that they are able to receive the discounted constituent rate for their student(s). Many Adventist high school and college/university students are studying on secular campuses. There can be some great advantages in that these students can be valuable witnesses to many people at their institutions. However, unless we as a church take care of these young people and engage them in mission outreach training, they will often be overwhelmed by their secular environments, unless they are deeply committed to staying close to Jesus. Keeping Adventist Schools Adventist
Over the years Adventist education has attracted recognition by government authorities in many countries, and the support of numerous families of others faiths who are sending their children and young people to Adventist schools. In fact, today more than half of the students currently enrolled in Adventist schools come from nonAdventist homes. In our own schools, having nonAdventist students can be a wonderful mission opportunity, provided that the school has a strong Seventhday Adventist faculty and staff. Unfortunately, however, some of our higher educational institutions are drifting toward hiring more nonAdventist teachers while at the same time accepting higher and higher percentages of non-Adventist students. I am urging all college and university administrations to make it a priority, as much as possible, to hire only Seventh-day Adventist faculty
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V I S T A
1 www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/ 2012-13/world-ranking. 2 “The Mission of Harvard College,” www.harvard.edu/faqs/ mission-statement. 3 See the 2012 Statistical Report of the Education Department of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
Stories GLOW: Giving Light to Our World Giving Light to Our World—GLOW—is an outreach initiative that originated in California, United States, and has since branched out to other world divisions. It’s based on the concept of church members distributing GLOW tracts—free of charge—at every opportunity. The tracts are currently being printed in 35 languages. Here are two short stories that depict lives touched by GLOW:
Story 1: Netherlands: A man named Danny
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and staff; otherwise you will not be fulfilling your mission, and you will find your institution redundant. But even where mistakes have been made, there is hope. In the Review and Herald, January 9, 1894, Ellen White wrote that when students “see no difference between our schools and the colleges of the world, and have no preference as to which they attend, though error is taught by precept and example in the schools of the world, then there is need of closely examining the reasons that lead to such a conclusion. Our institutions of learning may swing into worldly conformity. Step by step they may advance to the world; but they are prisoners of hope, and God will correct and enlighten them, and bring them back to their upright position of distinction from the world.” Seventh-day Adventist Christian education is absolutely indispensable. In spite of the challenges with which its leaders wrestle, Adventist education is a tremendous blessing. Many of us are products of that education. Let’s not lose it. Let’s help it to grow, and for those who are on a secular campus, let’s help them to be strong in the Lord, encouraging them not to be “conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2). n
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had been sharing his faith with his hairdresser, particularly regarding the seventh-day Sabbath. During one visit, while the woman was cutting his hair, Danny began reading and making notes in his Bible. That initiated another conversation about the Sabbath. The woman asked several questions, which a second client overheard. That client then became part of the “Bible study” as well. Danny left some religious literature with the hairdresser, including numerous GLOW tracts. The hairdresser planned to give them to other clients.
Story 2: Philippines: While touring the island of Bohol, a young man
named Justin wore a GLOW T-shirt on which were printed the words “I’ll give you $5 if you ask me for a Bible pamphlet and I don’t have one.” One of the other tourists noticed the T-shirt and asked for a pamphlet. Justin gave him one. Then another man asked for a pamphlet as well. Some other people wanted more than one so that they could share the pamphlets with others. Justin’s unique method of witnessing certainly attracted attention and resulted in the distribution of many GLOW tracks. Stories compiled by United States’ Central California Conference GLOW director Nelson Ernst. To find out more about GLOW, go to sdaglow.org.
Ted N. C. Wilson, is president of the Seventhday Adventist Church. He holds a Ph.D. in religious education from New York University.
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NAD NEWS interesting images—a building and a garden—to illustrate the process of growth that should take place in the church, and, by extension, the family.
T h i n k S t o c k
Preparation
By Claudio Consuegra, Family Ministries, North American Division
Marriage Family and
re s o u r ce s Family Togetherness Week is first week of September
A
n apple tree grew behind the parsonage where we once lived. The first year we lived there we were excited to see small apples growing, and we could already imagine the apple pies my wife would bake with that year’s harvest. Then our next-door neighbor informed us that the tree would never produce good apples. An
experienced farmer, he told us the tree had not been properly cared for over the years, and it was too late to fix it. The only ones who ever enjoyed the small apples the tree produced were the deer that came at night to eat them. A healthy family is no accident; rather, it is like tending a garden. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 3 Paul uses two
The apostle Paul described himself “as a wise master builder” who laid a foundation that others would build on (1 Cor. 3:10, 11).1 Likewise, gardeners know how to prepare the soil before they sow their seed. In the same way, a healthy family begins with adequate preparation. The North American Division Family Ministries Department recommends that couples preparing for marriage make use of the PREPARE/ENRICH program. This program not only assesses the current condition of the couple, but, with the aid of a trained facilitator, offers practical help to overcome their shortcomings and build on their strengths.2 Reading good books on marriage and family is also helpful. The Adventist Home, by Ellen G. White, for example, is packed with practical advice for couples contemplating marriage, as well as guidance for those already married. Preparing for Marriage, edited by Dennis Rainey, is another practical workbook for premarital couples. Couples preparing for marriage should consider reading other books, such as So You’re getting Married, by H. Norman Wright, and Fit to Be Tied, by Bill Hybels. Books about sexuality include good references, such as Captivated by Love, by Alberta Mazat. Other books about sexuality from a Christian perspective are A Celebration of Sex, by Douglas Continued on next page
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Rosenau; Intended for Pleasure, by Ed and Gayle Wheat; The Gift of Sex, by Clifford and Joyce Penner; and Sex Begins in the Kitchen, by Kevin Leman. These books give an accurate view of sex within marriage and provide helpful information for those preparing for marriage, as well as those already married who may be facing challenges in this area of their relationship. Planting: The Early and Middle Years
Even with adequate marriage preparation, every couple has to be intentional about maintaining a healthy relationship. David Olson, author of the PREPARE/ENRICH program, cowrote the book Empowering Couples, which includes a number of quizzes and exercises not only to assess the condition of your relationship but also practical suggestions to improve in those areas. Another resource from PREPARE/ ENRICH is The Couple Checkup,
Special Days in North
America
Focus for September: Family Life September 7 Men’s Day of Prayer September 8-14 Nurture Periodicals (Adventist Review, Insight, Guide, Primary Treasure, Our Little Friend) September 15-21 Family Togetherness Week September 22-28 Hispanic Heritage Week
12
T h i n k S t o c k
NAD NEWS
which includes an online scoring coupon a couple can take as an inventory of their relationship. Other books I suggest are The First Year of Marriage, by Miriam Arond and Samuel L. Parker, and Why Marriages Succeed or Fail, by John Gottman. Mark Gungor has a book and video series that uses practical information for couples in a humorous way under the title Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage. These are fairly inexpensive, and Gungor’s company also sells a group version of the program.
sion: Choosing Wisely DVD kit (Before You Divorce Ministry Products). Or maybe you have lost your spouse through death or divorce; in which case we encourage you to read Living Life After Divorce and Widowhood: Financial Planning, Skills, and Strategies for When the Unthinkable Happens, by Maurcia DeLean Houck. This resource guides readers through steps to be taken in case of a terminal illness and after the death of a spouse, so the survivor can avoid devastating financial consequences.
A Growing Family
Parenting
Even good gardens have weeds. Marriages sometimes need outside help to eradicate habits, behaviors, or negative feelings that negate the intimacy God intended. The NAD Family Ministries Web site provides a list of Adventist counselors who can help.3 For those places where there may not be an Adventist counselor, consult a counselor you know is Christian.4 Every family goes through good and hard times. Maybe you have reached the time when your nest is empty. David Arp wrote Empty Nesting as a guide through these challenging changes for middle-aged couples. Maybe you have considered or are considering divorce. We recommend a DVD program to help people considering this marriage-ending option before they make a very costly deci-
The experience of parenting can be most fulfilling and exciting, but also the most challenging to a couple and to their marriage. Just as adequate premarital preparation can be beneficial for the future health of the couple, preparenting preparation can help make this experience less stressful and more joyful. Child Guidance, by Ellen G. White, is one of the premier books on parenting. As with The Adventist Home, Child Guidance is a compilation of her writings on the subject of parenting and contains valuable insights from a biblical point of view about the role of parents and how to guide their children to be disciples of Jesus in preparation for eternity with Him. Kay Kuzma wrote a thorough book, The First Seven Years. Sally Hohnberger’s Parenting by the Spirit
Adventist World - nad | August 2013
and George Barna’s Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions are insightful books relating to the gift of spiritual parenting. To help prepare children ages 8-12 for their baptism, my wife and I wrote Making Jesus My Best Friend (also available in Spanish). A Time for Everything
As long as we live in this world of sin and death, all of us will be touched at some point with the death of a loved one. When death takes place, two books have proved particularly helpful in guiding people through their journey of grief and bereavement and toward recovery. Grief Recovery, by Adventist pastor and chaplain Larry Yeagley, is a small and extremely useful book for pastors and
those they minister to. Beyond Grief, by Carol Staudacher, is a practical guide to the steps of grief and bereavement a person goes through after the death of a loved one. A Good Garden, a Strong Building
Good marriages and healthy families do not happen by chance. American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said: “Your family and your love must be cultivated like a garden. Time, effort, and imagination must be summoned constantly to keep any relationship flourishing and growing.” All the training and all the good reading we do will help enrich our lives and experience as families, as
spouses, and as parents. Indeed, God’s help and blessings will help us have stronger marriages and healthier families. That’s one way to apply Paul’s words to the Corinthians: “So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase” (1 Cor. 3:7). The first week of September is Family Togetherness Week. In whatever stage of life we may be, let’s take advantage of those days and be intentional in strengthening the ties that bind us. n 1 Scripture quotations in this article are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 2 For more information on training and resources, visit www. prepare-enrich.com. 3 wwwadventistfamilyministries.com/article/70/resources/ directory-of-counselors. 4 The Web site for the American Association of Christian Counselors is: www.aacc.net/resources/find-a-counselor/.
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N A D U P D AT E
100,000
0
13,708
12,294
13,549
14,483
2007
14,032
13,066
2006
6,000
50,000
3,000
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Adventist World - nad | August 2013
2012
0
2005
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Muslim
(not registered)
Greek 300
Hungarian 575
Zimbabwean 675
1,370
Romanian
Jewish 725
4,500
Refugee
5,993
Portuguese
12,542
Korean
99,612
13,293
9,000
11,849
209,488
201,821
184,955
167,230
12,000
158,939
Haitian 50,118
Hispanic
Hispanic Ministries
200,000
152,686
2012
Baptism 2005-2012 15,000
145,104
2011
son, Ismael, a student. One day Abel visited Ellen White at her home in nearby Elmshaven. During their visit asked where he Totalshe = 385,903 attended church. Abel responded, “I’m a member of the Spanish-speaking church in Sánchez, Arizona.” According to Abel, Ellen White then related the only known inspired words regarding the Spanish-speaking work in North America: “It has been shown me that the Spanish work will be placed at the vanguard, and march at the head of the cause of God in the United States”*
Asia Pacific
209,488
eventually became the first Hispanic 250,000 Seventh-day Adventist pastor in North America. He was instrumental 200,000 in raising up several Adventist congregations in the southwest United 150,000 States. Those first converts were members of the Sánchez family, Methodists who 100,000 had settled in the Gila River valley near Sánchez, Arizona. One of the first 50,000 converts was the patriarch Lorenzo Sánchez. In 1913 J. Abel Sánchez, one 0 of Lorenzo’s sons, also accepted the Adventist message, was baptized, moved to Angwin, California, and worked at the academy to support his
250,000
141,871
2010
R. Ernest Castillo, vice president, North American Division
Hispanic Ministries
14
2009
Hispanic Ministries in North America
Membership 2005-2012
0
201,821
50,000
The Seventh-day Adventist work among the Hispanics began in Sánchez, Arizona, in 1899, 36 years after the Seventh-day Adventist Church was officially organized. Two Anglo colporteurs decided to sell books around Tucson, Arizona. The Holy Spirit led them to a bilingual Methodist pastor, Marcial Serna. Serna accepted the Seventh-day Adventist message, was baptized, and
100,000
2008
Message forAll
First Hispanic Adventists
150,000
2007
184,955
2006
167,230
2005
158,939
145,104
A
150,000 141,871
T
152,686
200,000
he 2010 United States census has the Hispanic population of the country at 50.5 million, the largest minority group in the nation, comprising 14 percent of the total population. The latest reports have the Hispanic population growing not so much by immigration but by birth rate. This poses a challenge: reaching a new generation of Hispanics. This generation doesn’t speak much Spanish; and while adapting to much of North American culture, they continue to hang on to their Hispanic heritage. How did this group of immigrants become so formidable?
209,488
250,000
Growth in North America
The Hispanic work is the fastestgrowing work in the North American Division. (See Membership Graph) About one third of all baptisms in the North American Division come from this segment of our constituency. The following graph tracks baptisms for the past eight years. (See Baptismal Graph) Recipe for Success
This rate of growth can been credited to: 1. Small-group ministries. Several hundred small groups meet together regularly. Pastors continually gather baptisms from the fruit of these small groups.
2. Lay training. Thousands of lay members are trained in soul winning. For many, evangelism is not an event—it is a way of life. 3. La Red satellite evangelistic events have become a great evangelistic tool. Many conferences have strategically placed satellite dishes around members’ homes, transforming them into small evangelistic centers during La Red events. Through Esperanza TV visitors can hear the gospel and make decisions for eternity. 4. The missionary magazine El Centinela also plays a major role in the growth of our Hispanic work. Churches have been organized and individuals are reading themselves into God’s truth through this periodical.
5. La Voz de la Esperanza radio ministry, with its new speaker/director, Omar Grieve, and the evangelistic thrust that he and his wife, Nessey, are planning, will continue to play a major role in the continued growth of our Hispanic work. Hispanics are religious by nature, and many of them are attracted to the message of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Since its modest beginnings in 1899, Hispanic Adventists now worship in more than 1,200 Hispanic churches here in North America, including those in Hawaii, Bermuda, and even Guam. Evangelism is the heart of Hispanic ministries. n *In Manuel Vasquez, The Untold Story (Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 2000), p. 21.
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NAD PERSPECTIVE By R. Ernest Castillo
Serving Immigrant Populations
209,488
201,821
167,230
158,939
152,686
145,104
141,871
sion were not born as citizens of their current nation of residence; compared to about 14 percent of the general population. When we look at baptisms, and 55 percent of all baptisms come from these immigrant populations, there is no doubt that God is working. When I think of the different ministry groups I serve, time and space will permit me to mention just a few: 184,955
T
he North American Division territory has become a microcosm of the world. The mission field has come to the North American Division territory. The Population Reference Bureau reports 250,000 that 104,000 refugees/immigrants come to the United States every day. Let me break that down for you: 200,000 n 99,200 are tourists, business people, and students n 3,100 are individuals who come 150,000 with permanent visas and become, in time, naturalized citizens 100,000 n 2,000 come in an unauthorized manner 50,000 What an opportunity for soul winning! The 0 graph below shows the growth 2005 people 2006 2007 2008 2009 of the following groups within our church, 386,000 members in the North American Division. About one in three church members in our divi-
Refugee Ministries
The Paradise Valley Adventist Church near San Diego, California, baptized more than 100 members through its refugee ministry. Pastor Jimmy Shwe became the first ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister to serve the Karen 2010 2011 in2012 population North America, pastoring in the Carolina Conference. The North American Division Office of Adventist Refugee and Immi-
Multi-Ethnic Ministries Membership 2012
Muslim
(not registered)
Greek 300
Hungarian 575
1,370 Romanian
Zimbabwean 675
4,500 Refugee
Jewish 725
5,993 Portuguese
12,542 Korean
0
Hispanic
50,000
Hispanic Ministries
Hispanic Ministries is growing primarily through small-group ministries. Of the 18,000 to 19,000 baptisms among these immigrant populations each per year, Hispanic Ministries is responsible for about 12,000, or 66 percent of them. Asian/Pacific Ministries
The owner of the Lao-Hmong Global TV station was recently baptized in one of our churches in the Southeastern California Conference. As a result, a new Laotian Adventist congregation is being started in Garden Grove, California. This newly baptized member wants Adventist preaching on his TV channel. Jewish Ministries
A few years ago the North American Division had only six Jewish congregations. Now there are 22 congregations; and that number is growing by two to three congregations per year. God is providing some major breakthroughs in these emerging immigrant populations. Ellen White wrote, “Many of these foreigners are here in the providence of God, that they may have opportunity to hear the truth for this time.”* n * In Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Oct. 29, 1914.
99,612
100,000
Total = 385,903
Haitian 50,118
150,000
Asia Pacific
200,000
209,488
250,000
grant Ministries, under the direction of Terri Saelee, is partnering with the Wisconsin Conference, the Carolina Conference, and the Iowa-Missouri Conference in refugee ministries.
R. Ernest Castillo is a vice president for the North American Division.
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Thank you for the excellent articles about historic events that contributed to making this one of the fastest-growing denominations in the world!
nad Letters The Adventist Story
Thank you for the excellent commemorative edition highlighting the early organization of our church in “The Beginning of a Movement” (May 2013). We praise the Lord for the tremendous growth and for the dedication of our pioneers. I agree with Ted Wilson that we need to stop having anniversaries and finish the task that God has placed on our shoulders. Thank you for articles about historic events that contributed to making this one of the fastest-growing denominations in the world! Leo Ranzolin Estero, Florida Cosmic Conflict
Thank you for Aleta Bainbridge’s article “The Cosmic Conflict” (May 2013). She wrote, however, that “God, in being true to Himself, cannot permit outcomes to dictate His actions,” and “if He adjusted His actions to bring about the outcome He desired, this would make Him a dictator manipulating events to suit His own ends.” Does she mean that God could foresee all that but had to follow through with His original intention in order to “be true to Himself ”? If so, I would suggest that she omit those sentences and accept exactly what she wrote so well in the rest of her article. God did take
18
Adventist World - nad | August 2013
—Leo Ranzolin, Estero, Florida
a “fearsome risk,” and the occurrence of sin in His creation was exactly the “totally unreasonable . . . inexplicable” thing as described. Dennis Murphy M organtown, West Virginia
UFOs are piloted by beings from other worlds, but when/if they are, they’re really satanic manifestations to mislead the people. Stan McCart E ly, Nevada
Smiles of Swaziland
I am grateful for the program mentioned in Doyle Nick’s article “The Smiles of Swaziland” (April 2013) that takes students to do dental work for those who can’t afford it. I wish more students would follow such a course. While they are looking for places to go, might they consider setting up clinics in underserved places in the United States? Medicare patients are not served by dental care, and it also affects our health. Christie Decker Maine Are They Real?
In response to Ángel Manuel Rodríguez’s “Are They Real?” (March 2013) the King James Version of the Bible refers to the worlds in Hebrews 1:2 and Hebrews 11:3. In Job 1:6, 7 and Job 2:1, 2 we are told the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, “and Satan came also among them.” Since Adam had fallen, Satan usurped his position as a representative of this earth. Ellen G. White refers to other worlds in The Desire of Ages, on pages 19, 20. I do not believe that
Search for Perfection
“The Search for Perfection” (see Idea Exchange, February 2013) implies that the number of plastic surgeries is solely about “the search for perfection.” Quoting 1 Peter 3:3, 4 suggests that plastic surgery is inappropriate for a Christian, but this is not always the case. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that in 2011 there were about 6.2 million reconstructive procedures and 13.8 million cosmetic procedures in the U.S. Of the reconstructive procedures, 4.2 million were for removal of tumors. Other reasons included repair of birth defects and revisions of scars. I encourage Seventh-day Adventists not to equate plastic surgical procedures with an inappropriate “search for physical perfection.” Ronald E. Turk, M.D. Greeneville, Tennessee
here’s W the Balance?
W O R L D
H E A L T H
By Allan R. Handysides and Peter N. Landless
With the increasing evidence supporting a vegan diet, why do you still talk about a well-balanced vegetarian diet and include only a lacto-ovo diet in that concept?
Y
our question is well taken and is on a topic to which we have given much honest thought and discussion among ourselves as health ministries leaders. To be perfectly frank, we believe both a well-balanced vegan diet (no meat, eggs, or dairy products) and a well-balanced lacto-ovo vegetarian diet (no meat but does include dairy and eggs) are both excellent diets. Writing as we do for a global church, however, we must keep in mind that a much greater problem exists in many world regions compared to others when it comes to implementing a well-balanced vegan diet. To be well balanced, the vegan diet must contain vitamin B12 supplementation, as well as sufficient amounts of vitamin D and calcium. A vegan diet can also increase the risk of developing osteoporosis as one grows older. The lacto-ovo vegetarian diet can also be problematic if it contains too much saturated fat and therefore results in poorer cholesterol profiles and higher body mass indexes. A careful management of either diet, however, can easily overcome these drawbacks. Currently the Adventist Health Study II (AHS2) has not been able to demonstrate conclusively superiority of one over the other. The numbers are small, and longer-term follow-up is required; plus, benefits in choles-
terol, weight, and potential secondary benefits for diabetes have not resulted in a clear advantage in the all-cause mortality category. Proponents of the total plantbased diet often quote Ellen White in support of their beliefs. Much of her commentary was reacting to people promoting strict diets in her time. Statements such as “The time will
We believe that there has been far too much argument and debate over these two types of diets. Instead, what we need to focus on is balance. Balance extends to more than the food on our plate; it also involves relationships with others as well as tolerance of one another’s differences. As the Bible so plainly puts it, life consists of more than food and drink (Luke 12:22-24).
There has been far too much argument and debate over these two types of diets. What we need to focus on is balance. come when we may have to discard some of the articles of diet we now use, such as milk and cream and eggs”* were in the context of refuting the need to give up dairy and eggs rather than of a prophetic statement. Additionally, she used many statements encouraging the use of moderate amounts of dairy. Her principal message was against flesh foods. We also urge caution when considering the use of what we would term “homemade drinks.” For example, North Americans can freely purchase fortified soy milk, yet in many parts of the world health promoters produce and sell “soy milks” that are actually “sugar bean juice.” Such drinks are without a nutrient content comparable to that of regular low-fat dairy. We cannot recommend such homemade drinks any more than we would recommend a fruit “drink” over a fruit “juice.”
When the grace of Jesus fills our hearts and lives, we are able to live joyfully and at peace with ourselves and with others. What we should strive to achieve are the health benefits of a peaceful, warm, and loving relationship with all God’s children—regardless of their dietary convictions. n * Ellen G. White, Counsels on Diet and Foods (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1946), p. 206.
Allan R. Handysides, a board-certified gyne-
cologist, is director of the General Conference Health Ministries Department.
Peter N. Landless, a board-certified nuclear car-
diologist, is an associate director of the General Conference Health Ministries Department.
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A D V E N T I S T
L I F E
Two Missionaries— By Gary Tetz
Flaiz Family: Dr. Theodore Flaiz, shown here with his wife, Jennie, and their two children, completed his residency at White Memorial Medical Center and was one of the first Adventist missionaries to serve in India.
Worlds
A history of White Memorial Medical have delivered healing and hope to the world. To places like Narsapur. A Heart for India
F l a i z
O
f a m i ly
ne story starts in India, where a young, Bible-toting pioneer makes a commitment that will ripple through generations to follow. The other begins with an 8-year-old boy from Mexico new to America, wide-eyed at the possibilities. Two kinds of missionaries, one whose calling took him halfway around the globe, and the other who saw a pressing need right in his own backyard. Though decades and continents apart, they’re connected by a desire to change the world for the better—and by White Memorial Medical Center (WMMC). Named after Ellen White, White Memorial was founded in 1913 and celebrates its centennial this year. It was established in Boyle Heights, just minutes from downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., not only to provide care for local residents, but also to train physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals for lives of global service. For a century and counting, its employees and graduates
20
Dr. Theodore Flaiz was among the first Seventh-day Adventist missionaries to serve in India. He and his wife arrived in the little village of Narsapur, in the province of Andhra Pradesh, in 1915. They were young and very alone, but had a passion to share the gospel through education. After building a mission school to teach local children, Flaiz established programs for worker training and literature evangelism. When the raja of Teleprole learned of Flaiz’s efforts on behalf of the local people, he offered him five acres of land, some unfinished buildings, and 10,000 rupees in cash and asked him to build a hospital in the nearby town of Nuzvid. The missionary agreed, and construction began in 1923. Having witnessed the urgent need for health care in India, Flaiz made the decision to pursue more medical training (which included residency training at WMMC). Returning to India after graduation, he guided the growing hospital for several more years before becoming director of the worldwide medical work of the Adventist Church. Today the little school has become Flaiz Memorial Seventh-day Adventist
Adventist World - nad | August 2013
High School and College, and Giffard Memorial Hospital continues to serve the community as part of Adventist Health India. Following the Ripples
The ministry of Dr. Theodore Flaiz was like a pebble thrown into a glassy pond, and the ripple effect of his commitment started with his two children, Ted and Mary June, both born in India. Ted spent nearly 30 years in overseas mission work as a dentist, and at age 92 continues to make several trips a year. Ted’s two sons, Richard and Doug, also chose careers as service-minded physicians, with Richard spending two years in residency at WMMC. Doug served several years practicing medicine in Ethiopia. Mary June married Stanley Wilkinson, who also trained at WMMC, and the couple served for six years at the Adventist hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Many of the children and grandchildren from both sides of the family have been back to India to support the groundbreaking work Flaiz began. “I’m blessed to have my grandpa and father as such great role models,” says Richard, an otolaryngologist practicing in Hermiston, Oregon.
—
Flores and Resident: Hector Flores partnered with White Memorial to help create one of the United States’ most innovative and influential family medicine residency programs designed to train physicians to care for underserved populations. W h i t e
M e m o r i a l
M e d i c a l
C e n t e r
Apart
Center—from India to Los Angeles “Growing up with their examples made all the difference for our branch of the family tree.” A Tradition of Service
Examples like that—of medical graduates like Flaiz who devoted their lives and skills to the church’s worldwide mission program—dot the history of WMMC. As a community of faith, the White Memorial culture has always been driven by service. While an exact count of WMMC-trained missionaries over the past 100 years is difficult to determine, the stories are plentiful and legendary. But inspiring tales of international service represent only part of the WMMC narrative. From the beginning, even in times of struggle, the hospital chose to remain in Boyle Heights and care for its community. “The neediest people of our city and county have made a well-worn path to its doors,” wrote longtime White Memorial leader Dr. Percy Magan back in 1938. A Return to the Neighborhood
When Hector Flores arrived in Los Angeles, he was only 8 years old. Like so many immigrants before and since, his parents came looking for opportunities. His dad was a busboy, and his mom, a hotel maid. Though they had
no education, they knew it was the key to success and promoted it relentlessly. Hard work in high school paid off, and he attended Stanford University on a full scholarship. Though initially planning to be an engineer, Flores went into medicine instead and graduated from the University of California—Davis School of Medicine. His choice to practice family medicine was rooted in his family’s experiences. “What appealed to me was the opportunity to treat everyone regardless of his or her status in life,” he says. Deeply driven by a mission to serve working-class, predominantly Latino communities like his own, Flores was drawn to WMMC when he discovered they were looking to establish a program to train physicians to work in underserved areas. It was the opportunity he’d been waiting for—to design a family medicine residency model that would attract doctors to Boyle Heights, and would bring greater care and access to its people, many of whom were uninsured.
WMMC have proven to be the perfect setting to maintain what is perhaps the most innovative and influential family medicine residency program in the United States. The opportunity to provide care specifically suited to the health needs of Latinos is one of the benefits of the residency’s deep community roots. Flores is currently spearheading a pilot project to help redesign how care is delivered to patients with chronic diseases like diabetes. “It’s one of the leading contributors to death and disability in Boyle Heights,” he says. “Our vision is for WMMC to be a family resource center for wellness.” “The personal sacrifice of those who have dedicated their lives to our community and world are a source of great inspiration,” says WMMC president and chief executive officer Beth Zachary, herself the daughter of missionary parents. “As we celebrate this milestone and look to the future, they remind us of the importance of holding fast to our mission.”* n Insights into the life and work of Dr. Theodore Flaiz were drawn from Mary June Flaiz Wilkinson’s memoir, The Land My Childhood Knew, from the recollections of Measapogu Wilson in a 2010 Ministry magazine tribute, and from conversations with family members. A Journey of Faith and Healing, by Ronald D. Graybill, was the source of information and anecdotes regarding the White Memorial historical legacy of global mission service. *To learn more, please visit whitememorial.com/centennial.
Caring for the Underserved
Family medicine is one of five thriving medical residencies offered by the hospital under the sponsorship of Loma Linda University, and the underserved neighborhoods near
Gary Tetz is a senior writer for CMBell Company.
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The
Adventist Story South
Pac i f i c
DIVISIO N
By Carol Tasker
O
ne seed. Insignificant and unappealing. Too small to attract attention—but Jesus noticed. In fact, He used tiny seeds to illustrate great kingdom principles. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed—so small some of us need a magnifying glass to see what it looks like. And when we do focus on this tiny brown speck, there is no indication of what it may become. But the growth itself is nothing short of miraculous—not only in size but in form. When a seed grows, it becomes, not just a bigger speck, but even a massive tree, providing shade for schoolchildren, a home for birds and monkeys. Or it may become a carrot, a pumpkin, or a mango tree bearing hundreds of mangoes—each with the capacity for growing more mango trees, with more mangoes. Kingdom multiplication principles at their best! Like a Mustard Seed
Like a mustard seed, the Seventhday Adventist work in Australia and the South Pacific began small. Just seven adults and four children from the United States sailed to Australia in 1885. A printing work began in Melbourne, along with the production of some health foods. In 1897 a fledgling school called Avondale was carved out of the bush by the first 10 students and four teachers, while the first Adventist hospital in Australia (the Sydney San) accepted a desperately ill local resident before it opened its doors in 1903. That first patient began a line of five generations of Adventists with the surname Butler. Growth and fruit are natural results of planted seed. Five years later, in 1908, the first missionary group of three journeyed to Papua New Guinea. The first 12 years of long, hard, persistent work yielded a record of two converts. But from such unpromising beginnings, baptized church membership in Papua
22
A
Packet of
Seeds
and
Kingdom Principles Adventism in the South Pacific Division New Guinea now stands at 223,856, besides the thousands of children and young people in Adventist churches. Surprisingly, the seeming lack of early success in Papua New Guinea did not deter the Australasian Union from sending a mission boat and workers to another island nation—the Solomon Islands—in 1914, as G. F. Jones and his wife sailed the Advent Herald around the Western Solomon Islands, establishing the first mission station at Viru Harbor. Solomon Island Miracle
Almost 100 years later Solomon Island Mission (SIM) president Wayne Boehm and his son Jacob, annoy village chief Leonard by ruining his Sunday morning peace with the roar of their motorbikes. Chief Leonard’s reception is understandably cool. However, when Wayne presents the village with a simple packet of seeds, it
Adventist World - nad | August 2013
is as though these villagers have just received a million dollars. A friendship begins. Leonard brings around pawpaw and vegetables almost weekly in gratitude for the gift of seeds. More seeds are exchanged. Seeds mean so much out there—feeding families, generating school fees, paying for books and clothes. Dr. Silent (SIM health director) and other church members begin weekly Bible studies in the village. A Saturday afternoon meeting of 10 people soon turns into a branch Sabbath school of nearly 50. Leonard and his wife begin attending church meetings. They watch the new Beyond the Search video series. They are baptized in late 2012, and baptismal studies continue in his village. Here are true kingdom growth principles in action. But the story doesn’t end there. Wayne tells us more: “We were having land issues on the weather coast of Guadalcanal, where
TIME TOGETHER: Mission President Wayne Boehm sits beside Leonard and his father, with other villagers. P h o t o s
b y
C a r o l Ta s k e r
we had built a church and needed to extend. Unbeknown to us, Leonard was the spokesperson for that area and had stopped the work on our church long before. Following his baptism, he returned to that other village to let them know that the Adventist Church has his permission to do what they wanted. Other family members now send their children to Leonard’s village for him to raise them in his wonderfully new way of life.” The mission president’s seeds of love had reached the one person who could resolve a longstanding problem and open the door to further evangelism in this remote area.
camp (and quietly witness to the villagers), they were overwhelmed by the welcome and were invited to hold their Sabbath worship in the Anglican Church—with many locals attending! In turn they attended the Sunday church service, where the Adventist pastor was invited to preach. Many of the local youth told their newfound Adventist friends that they wanted to become Adventists because they are people of the Word and people of action. The head elder observed: “I was plotting and planning all of these ways to make a difference over there, but instead all I’ve been doing is running as fast as I can to keep up with God!”
The Dorcas Women
The Kingscliff Church
Recognizing the needs of others can be a simple act, but with farreaching consequences. Take, for instance, the Dorcas women, who thought of having a weekend federation meeting in a hostile Anglican village. Recognizing the village had no drinking water, the Dorcas women raised funds and sent a gift ahead of the planned meetings—a water tank, complete with a group of Adventist men to install it. The priest and congregation were stunned. Why would the Adventists care about their problem? Hearts were softened, and later when a Seventh-day Adventist youth group went there to
At the heart of kingdom growth principles is a personal relationship with God. Seven years ago the members of Kingscliff Church in the North New South Wales Conference, Australia, were challenged to daily spend an hour of quality time with God, in Bible study and prayer. A number of families committed to this suggestion, and the rest is an exciting history of the Holy Spirit at work in the twenty-first century. As the Holy Spirit has been given permission to work, hearts and lives, theology and behavior have changed. A desire to share Jesus in the community has led to three series of evangelistic programs, and 100 community
HAPPY DAY: Village chief Leonard on the day of his baptism with Pastor George Vann
members registered at the recent community health program. This mediumsized congregation (280-300) has become the second highest in tithe giving in the conference. Young people have put their careers and schooling on hold and committed themselves to three months of on-the-job training in evangelism. The salvation of the children has become a top priority for this church, and both men and women are involved in the seven divisions of children to youth divisions. Church board operations afford a wonderful evidence of God’s presence at work. Pastor Marcus Mundall reports that in his five years there “only three times has there been even one dissenting vote at a church board or business meeting.” April Mundall, his wife, speaks of Kingscliff having “a wonderful spirit of unity like the early apostolic church.” They anticipate about 50 baptisms this year. When I think of seeds, I think of the extravagant generosity of a God who gives far more than is necessary or expected. He delights in our company and wants us before He wants our service. From small and insignificant beginnings, God wants to demonstrate what the Holy Spirit can supernaturally do through people totally committed to Him. n
Carol Tasker is associate
director of education for the South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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C OV E R S T O RY
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By Andrew McChesney
Secrets of
What Russia’s business leaders
A
llow me to share an adventure that has led me to meet some of the most successful business leaders working in Russia. They are not Seventhday Adventists; they may not even be Christian. But as I have interviewed them as part of my work as a journalist, I have come to understand that their biggest secrets for success come straight from the Bible—whether they know it or not. Here are seven things I have learned:
1. The president of Alfa Bank, the largest private bank in There are no “little people.”
Russia, invited me to a barbeque at his villa outside Moscow one afternoon. Pyotr Aven, 58, who has built a personal fortune of $5.4 billion in the 20 years since the Soviet collapse, arrived in a chauffeured black Mercedes sedan, waved at his guests waiting in the garden, and walked straight over to a server standing in the garden behind a table loaded with fruit juice, mineral water, wine, open cigarette packs, and lighters. Aven shook the server’s hand and engaged in a brief conversation. The server was clearly pleased with the attention and smiled broadly. Then Aven came over to talk to us. After a few minutes a man wearing a tall white chef ’s hat emerged from the villa, and Aven darted over to him, shaking his hand and chatting with him. Pyotr Aven P h o t o s :
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a n d
V l a d i m i r
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F i lo n o v
As we ate later, I suggested to Aven that it was unusual for a billionaire to pay so much attention to the hired help. Aven paused and gave me a penetrating look. “You’re right,” he finally said. “But you know, most of my staff have worked for me for 20 years, and I have made it a tradition to greet them this way. This is why they have worked for me so long. They are loyal.” Lesson learned: “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (James 2:8, 9).
2 . Patrick Ghidirim, 39, has his hands full with AgroManage time well.
Terra, a corporate farming outfit he created that includes 1,000 employees, a half billion dollars in net assets, and 617,500 acres (250,000 hectares) of rich, black earth in central Russia. When I asked him about his source of inspiration, he confided that he carries around “a most incredible quote” that he jotted down during a meeting with legendary investor Warren Buffett at Harvard. “He looked at us at a session at Harvard and said, ‘Look, you guys will all be successful at some point; some more, some less. Don’t worry about that; don’t worry about success. Just remember one thing: You will eventually take on a lot of the characteristics of the people around you at the place where you end up working. Whether you like it or not, it will happen. So be very mindful and purposeful choosing the companies where you work. This is one of the most important choices you can make. Choose a company and surround yourself with coworkers whom you want to become like,’ ” Ghidirim told me. Knowing that the people with whom we spend time
Success taught me about success 3. Vladimir Vilde, 51, a self-made multimillionaire who
P h o t o
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o f
Pat r i c k
G h i d r i m
Honor your promises.
Patrick Ghidirim
also transform our minds, Ghidirim said he carefully weighs his use of time. “The older you get, the more each minute of your time becomes truly valuable,” he said. “As somebody said, there is one single, truly irreplaceable resource in life that we don’t appreciate. This is time, our own time. I want every moment of my time to matter.” Lesson learned: “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed” (Prov. 13:20).
surreptitiously printed prohibited religious literature in Soviet times, builds $15 million palatial villas for the fabulously wealthy. I asked him how he manages to be successful without resorting to bribery and the other forms of corruption common in the business world. “The answer is easy,” he said. “You must be professional under all circumstances, under any regime. When you’re living in an economy like ours, you must be very professional and always fulfill exactly what you promise. If you promise to hammer a nail into the wall and you hammer it well, you will be known as an independent, highly professional craftsman, wanted by many and able to command a good salary. You Vladimir Vilde can build palatial villas, as I do. But I got this far only through small steps, each of which was fulfilled with professionalism and predictability. Other people must know that what I promise will really happen.” Lesson learned: “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? . . . He who swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Ps. 15:1-4).
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You must be professional under all can be short-lived. “We all look successful today, but we don’t know what we are going to look like and be like tomorrow,” she said. “At every point in life we should understand that success can be fleeting. You should make sure that you learn from everybody who is out there so as to better yourself as a person.” Lesson learned: “Wise people store up knowledge” (Prov. 10:14).
5. Many people whom I spoke with were self-effacing Be humble.
Indra Nooyi
4. Indra Nooyi, 57, chair and CEO of PepsiCo, radiated Keep learning.
quiet confidence as she sat across from me, legs crossed, for an interview in a Moscow hotel. An Indian-born U.S. citizen with a master’s degree in management from Yale, Nooyi was ranked as the world’s most powerful businesswoman by Fortune magazine from 2005 to 2010. Pressed for her secret for success, she replied that it was a desire to learn from everyone, from world leaders to her housekeeper. “I look for people who have a story to teach me,” she said. “It could be a world leader who has a very interesting perspective on a particular issue. I might do more research on that person. Likewise, it could be a PepsiCo salesperson or a janitor at PepsiCo. There was a secretary at PepsiCo who went through a lot of problems, and I learned a lot from that person. I talk to the person who cleans our home. She has a tough life, and I listen to her stories for hours because I want to understand how somebody who lives her life can still smile through it all.” Nooyi also showed a vulnerable side, saying it is important to learn every day because success—even her success—
and media-shy. But Antonio Linares, the managing director of Roca Russia, the local branch of the world’s largest maker of bathroom equipment, made a special effort to point out that humility is important because nothing can get a person into trouble like pride. The 42-year-old Spaniard, who opened seven factories in Russia in just eight years, said he constantly reminds his 2,500 employees: “Don’t put your ego on the table.” “For example, we once had a never-ending discussion at one of our factories about where to put a window in a big wall,” Linares told me over lunch in a chic Moscow restaurant. “Some engineers said, ‘Why not here? The window has been placed here in every other factory in the world.’ Other engineers said, ‘But this is Russia, and the regulations say there has to be this much distance from here to here, so the window cannot go here. It has to be there and have these characteristics.’ “After some time it got to the point where we had to remind the people around the table: ‘Gentlemen, why do we need the window so badly? And why did we want it here so badly?’ The debate was the result of egos on the table. “This is what I always suggest: Leave your ego in your pocket or, if possible, in the car. Don’t carry it close to your heart.” Lesson learned: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt. 23:12).
Antonio Linares
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circumstances, under any regime.
6. Arturo Cardelus, 70, pointed me toward a collection Lead by example.
of silver paper stars affixed to the ceiling above his office desk at the Moscow headquarters of Ferrero, the Italian family-owned maker of such confectionary as Ferrero Rocher, Nutella, and Tic Tac. “Values are very important. Look at all the stars there,” Cardelus told me. “All the stars have words on them: ‘encouragement,’ ‘creativity,’ ‘openness,’ ‘humanity,’ ‘fairness,’ and ‘trust.’ These are the values we push in this company.” Cardelus’ values are rooted in his grandfather, the prominent Spanish comic playwright Pedro Muñoz Seca, who was killed by a firing squad during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Cardelus said that his grandfather showed honor by not writing for the opposition to save his life and that he, as his grandson, could never betray that honor. I asked how he promotes those values to the more than 2,000 Russians whom he oversees at the company’s local operations, which he grew from just 150 people in eight years. “The most important way,” he said, “is by example. You have to give a good example. Always. That’s the key. If you fail—if you fail once—that’s it; your credibility is gone. I have never failed once. I have never dreamed of failing, of not being honest, trustworthy, or credible—never, never, never. It’s part of my core being. This is the way I’ve always been. This is the way I’ve always run companies, and it’s always worked.” Lesson learned: “He who says he abides in [Jesus] ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6). Then it struck me. All these lessons on success and leadership point to one thing: Love.
7. Perhaps Cardelus expressed the truth of love best Love.
when I asked him to share his secret for successfully managing people and business. “The advantage I have is that I like people. I love people,” he said. He said his employees, whom he always referred to as “my people,” are a tremendous source of inspiration. “I just want to grow them,” he said. “People are like the biblical parable of the talents. I have to leave them better than
when I got them. I have to, or what . . . are we here for? You have to leave things richer, better. You know, when you go upstairs, our Friend is going to ask: ‘OK, what did you do in life?’ What am I going to say: ‘Oh, Arturo Cardelus yes, we made the budget every year’; ‘I never missed an appointment’; ‘I went to every meeting on time’?” Cardelus said he makes every effort to know what people are feeling, and succeeds by being open and never playing games. “I know what they have inside because I’m very open. As you can see, I’m extraordinarily open, totally transparent, and they respond to me.” That begged a question. “It sounds like a key part of leadership is the ability to be transparent,” I said. “To be, not the ability to be,” Cardelus gently chided me. “I’m not putting on a show. No, I’m always very clear, very transparent, very open. I never try to play games. . . . Lead with the heart.” Lesson learned: “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself ’ ” (Matt. 22:37, 38). This is the biggest secret to success, and it comes directly from Jesus, the greatest Leader of all: “Love one another” (John 13:34). n
Andrew McChesney is a journalist in Russia.
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H
ere you are,” says the young mother as she places six pounds of wriggling humanity on my lap. “Would you like to hold her? Her name is Yvonne.” In sharing her treasure, Elizabeth knows how I feel about babies. Years ago she had heard me speak of the sacred miracle of human reproduction at a church where I served as pastor. Now, Elizabeth is a physician with firsthand knowledge about such things. She gave birth three days ago. At her invitation, her parents, sister, and two lively nephews are gathered in her home to welcome Yvonne into a wonderful family. My wife, Fredonia, and I are happy to join the clan. A big dinner is planned. Grandma has brought the entrée and cake. Yvonne, smartly dressed in pink pajamas, is in my hands! Legs, arms, fingers, all functioning. I size her up. She’s so little! Her face is a bit wrinkled, and her head seems a little squeezed; or am I imagining things? She’s new, so new! But now she’s agitated, about to cry. “Don’t you like me?”
I whisper, enclosing her little body firmly in my hands and holding her close. She relaxes and falls asleep. “She’s used to close quarters,” I say to Grandpa, who, from across the room, smiles with a suggestion of envy. He’s a physician. “Wasn’t he at her birth? He’s had his turn!” I say to myself. n n n n
Conversation. Good conversation! So much to talk about! I express astonishment that so soon after giving birth, Elizabeth appears to enjoy being host! Fine, smart, warmhearted family! But the little princess is squirming— puckering up! Tenderly I increase my hold on this precious bit of humanity, my hands completely around her as I press her to my chest. Can she hear my heart—feel me breathe? Does my voice, resonating through her tiny frame, bring assurance and comfort? She relaxes. Something within me moves. “It’s good for her to hear a man’s voice.” I say to the new father. He’s busy arranging chairs. “Children need to hear their dad’s voice. Wouldn’t you agree?” He smiles indulgently.
Yvonne An embrace, a memory, and the promise of a future
By Oliver L. Jacques
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P h o t o
b y
V e r a
K r at o c h v i l
Does my voice, resonating through her
tiny frame, bring assurance and comfort?
Now my little friend is awake. Her eyes open. She yawns, works arms and legs. I place my pinky in her wee hand. She grips it and holds on! I clear my throat and sniff with emotion. “—and those eyes!” I exclaim, “incredible TV cameras coordinated by a foolproof computer right here!” I gently touch the back of her head. “She’ll get her eyes focused soon.” Again she’s restless, insecure. Carefully, I press her to my heart. We both feel better. “What are you thinking about? Are you in a trance or something?” It’s Fredonia. “Just thinking,” I reply. n n n n
Holding a baby is, for me, an act of worship. My heart overflows with thoughts and feelings about God. “I’m an old man—older than the pope,” I sometimes say to clerks at the supermarket as they help me load the groceries. My legs don’t work well; my back aches. My fingers, bent with arthritis, hit the wrong keys on the computer. The knees are bad. My heart, with its mechanical valve, needs strengthening. I’m overdue for a cataract job. I could use a new hearing aid. When I preach, I need help getting off the platform! Don’t laugh! It’s not funny! Besides, times are scary. Sometimes I feel insecure, sort of shaky. My inner soul needs to resonate to God’s voice. I need to feel Him breathe, need to be close to His heart of love. Yes, I need Him to hold my gnarled hand. And—I’d like to know how He feels about His restless, helpless children; the ones created to look and be like Him! Familiar words from Scripture wash through my mind, bringing peace, assurance, and understanding. I remember His words; “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you” (Isa. 66:13). I think of the Good Shepherd who carries the lambs in His bosom. And then there is His promise: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). n n n n
Here’s a very old man. He’s in the Temple in Jerusalem, “waiting for the Consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25). What’s that in his arms? A tiny, newly born peasant babe from
Nazareth! Did His mother’s five-day ride on a donkey hasten the time of His birth? As the aging Simeon holds Baby Jesus to his yearning heart, he knows that this “seed” of Eve will, as our flesh and blood brother, overcome evil and bring salvation to both Jews and Gentiles. But look at the baby! His eyes, His hands! Can I share the old man’s epiphany as I hold little Yvonne? I recall reading about Theodore Roosevelt. He’s retired, body wracked with pain and malaria. A tough man, he once led the famous “Rough Riders.”* Remember, the fearless U.S. president with the “big stick”? Well, one day he’s standing in the parlor with a new grandchild in his arms. He’s not talking; not laughing. The old man’s crying. Yes— weeping—tears running down his cheeks! It’s the wonder of it all, I guess. “It’s all right, Mr. President. We understand. It’s all right!” Well, Yvonne is growing. She’s now a bright-eyed schoolgirl with a beguiling smile. Actually she studies at home—her mom’s wisely giving her the very best education. Thank you, Elizabeth—yes, and you, too, Dad and Grandpa and Grandma, for a transcendent, unforgettable visit! A big hug for you, Yvonne. One day soon, if faithful, you and I will get acquainted, really get to know each other! Do you know what I’d like to do? I’d love to take a walk with you, maybe even run with you along the river of life. You know, the one that flows from the throne of God—in a better, safer world! n * The “Rough Riders” was a name given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, which was raised in 1898 during the Spanish-American War.
Oliver L. Jacques served as pastor, teacher, missionary, and administrator. He passed away in September 2012.
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ew concepts in the Bible are so consistently asserted throughout its pages as the claim that God is the Creator of the universe and life. From the very first verse (“In the beginning God created . . .” [Gen. 1:1] to the last chapter (“I am . . . the Beginning and the End” [Rev. 22:13]) Scripture repeatedly affirms that what brought all things into existence was the creative activity of God. Such unequivocal clarity conflicts with the naturalistic models of origins predominant in secular academic thought, which do not accept the idea of the Creator God or the possibility of His interaction with nature. The Bible not only identifies God as the author of creation, but also depicts Him as actively and intentionally engaged in the process. This is clearly conveyed by the account of Creation in Genesis 1, where the verbs describing God’s role (created, said, saw, divided, called, made, set, blessed) are in the active form and associated with a direct object.
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Beginning god Created in
the
Exploring the intersection of faith and science
What Can We Know and What Can We Not Know?
If the Bible is explicit in indicating God’s agency in creation, what can be said about the mechanisms of creation? Does Scripture provide insights about the processes God used in His endeavor? The book of Job seems to make a case for a limited ability for humans to attain knowledge of how God unfolded His creative powers. In talking to Job, Elihu stresses how “God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend” (Job 37:5). Later in the book God Himself presents Job with an extensive review of the wonders of creation (Job 38-41), finally leading to Job’s famous recognition: “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I
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By Ronny Nalin
did not know” (Job 42:3). This inability to comprehend the creative power of God is a fundamental aspect of the human condition and is not because of a lack of willingness or application. This view is clearly expressed in the following statement by Ellen White: “Just how God accomplished the work of creation in six literal days He has never revealed to mortals. His creative works are just as incomprehensible as His existence.”1 It is also true, however, that the
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Bible contains countless invitations to ponder aspects of the natural world as a way to become more acquainted with the character of God and His ideal for His creatures. David, for example, explains how his thoughts take form when considering “Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained” (Ps. 8:3). Therefore, even if the process of creation may be inaccessible to us, what results from it (the “creation”)
invites investigation and appears intelligible. We can note this ambivalence even in the passage where God humbles Job through His challenging questions. God asking Job penetrating questions directs Job’s attention to observable aspects of the marvels of creation. This function of science, as a way to connect with God, is beautifully affirmed in another statement by Ellen White: “Under the direction of the Omniscient One shall we, in the study of His works, be enabled to think His thoughts after Him.”2 Balancing Two Extremes
Considering what the Bible says about probing the beginnings of our world, scientific investigation of origins should maintain a balance between two extremes. On the one side lies the risk of leaving God out of the picture. Scientific methods help us understand, often in minute details, the operations of some physical phenomena. Unfortunately, rather than eliciting wonder and gratitude to the Creator, this knowledge may lead to a false sense of domination and self-reliance. When we miss that knowing how something works does not mean we know how it was created, we get trapped by the temptation first heard in Eden: “You will be like God” (Gen. 3:5). At the opposite end of the spectrum lies a vision of science as a dangerous taboo. Scientific research is suspicious. This attitude makes religion look like an attempt to control humanity by keeping it ignorant. Satan tried to portray God in a similar way when he asked Eve in Eden: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1). Through this insinuating question, the serpent suggested that God did not want humans to experience creation, when in fact God had planted those very trees so that humans could eat from their fruit.
When we engage in discussing some aspects of God’s creative acts, therefore, we need to avoid these two potential extremes. In this spirit the following reflections are offered as explorative suggestions from a limited human perspective.
Creation
God is Creator of all things, and has revealed in Scripture the authentic account of His creative activity. In six days the Lord made “the heavens and the earth” and all living things upon the earth, and rested on the seventh day of that first week. Thus He established the Sabbath as a perpetual memorial of His completed creative work. The first man and woman were made in the image of God as the crowning work of Did God Create Creation, given dominion over the world, Me? and charged with responsibility to care for One of the first quesit. When the world was finished it was tions about the mode of “very good,” declaring the glory of divine creation is the issue of God. (Gen. 1; 2; Ex. 20:8-11; Ps. fiat creation. The Latin word 19:1-6; 33:6, 9; 104; Heb. 11:3.) fiat implies the appearance of fully functional systems in immediate response to God’s command. The Genesis account of creation is quite clear that God spoke things into exisfore, history. Is this the result of sin? tence. This concept is reinforced in In His original plan, God did not several other biblical texts, such as intend for His creatures to remain static. Psalm 33:6: “By the word of the Lord This is implied by the injunctions “be the heavens were made, and all the fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters host of them by the breath of His in the seas,” “multiply on the earth,” “be mouth.” fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and On the other hand, we also experisubdue it” (Gen. 1:22, 28) directed at the ence the formation of new things, fish, flying creatures, and humans, which are not made instantaneously respectively. The verbs used suggest that by the voice of God, such as the comGod endowed His creation with the ing to the world of a new baby. This reality, however, is not in conflict with potential for growth and expansion. It is clear, therefore, that God envisioned this the original fiat creation. God is still world as a dynamic system from the the author of everything, by working beginning. At the same time, the through the laws He ordained to govaccount of Genesis does indicate that ern physical systems in time. some changes in nature were introduced by the entrance of sin (Gen. 3:14-19). Created Entities: Static or Regardless of the reasons for Dynamic? change, many things observed today, A second area of potential confusuch as impact craters on the surface sion is the idea that what God creates of the moon, seem to point to the cannot change because it is perfect. occurrence of processes in the past. Many things we see in the universe Accepting that things may have been today are part of a dynamic system, subject to change after their creation full of processes, change, and, thereAugust 2013 | Adventist World - nad
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helps us understand that not everything we see faithfully reflects the original condition of created entities. Out of Nothing or From Preexisting Material?
Another important question about creation asks if God works from preexisting material or if He does not need any starting ingredients but can really make things ex nihilo (a Latin expression that means “out of nothing”). The Bible clearly asserts that God has the capability to create ex nihilo and that indeed He did so. “All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things” (Col. 1:16, 17; cf. Heb. 11:3). Nevertheless, the Genesis account does show God can also create things using preexisting materials, the prime example being the creation of man from “the dust of the ground” (Gen. 2:7).
others cannot be predicted beforehand. These two ways for things to happen are commonly referred to as “necessity” and “chance.” These impersonal words convey the impression of a mechanical world functioning without God. However, what we experience as “necessity” and “chance” could in fact be intentional ways in which God allows free will to become possible. A Matter of Faith
In conclusion, scientific investigation may help elucidate some aspects of the processes God chooses to interact with nature. At the same time, although science may give us a deeper appreciation for the greatness of the Creator, understanding how God made the world remains a matter of faith. “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s com-
Determinism and Free Will
A final question about God’s creative activity concerns the amount of control He exerts in governing the mechanics of the systems He created. Does God purposely determine the occurrence of every phenomenon, from the specific trajectory of a grain of sand transported by a river to the exact recombination of genetic material from the chromosomes of parental cells? This issue is very important, especially in discussions about free will and the manifestation of evil in nature. The New Testament portrays Jesus as the Sustainer of the universe—after all, “in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:17, NIV). This means that there is no reality without God. However, sustaining is different from determining. God may provide a setting for things to exist, where multiple outcomes of a certain phenomenon have the opportunity to occur. From the perspective of humans, laws may regulate some of these outcomes, whereas
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mand, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Heb. 11:3, NIV). It was no different for Adam and Eve, who woke up in a marvelous world whose creation they had not witnessed. As they were, so are we privileged to explore that marvelous world and grow in appreciation for its wonderful Creator. n 1 Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts (Battle Creek, Mich.: Seventhday Adventist Pub. Assn., 1864), vol. 3, p. 93. 2 Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1903), p. 134.
Ronny Nalin, Ph.D., is a
research scientist at the Geoscience Research Institute of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and lives with his wife, Elisa, and daughter, Gioia, in Mentone, California.
Further
Resources
If you would like to dig deeper into some of the issues discussed in the article check the following resources. 1. On the role of faith and scientific investigation of the topic of origins: Ellen G. White, Education, chapter 14, pages 128-134. Available online at www.whiteestate.org/books/ed/ed14.html 2. On the concept of creation ex nihilo: Paul Copan and William L. Craig, Creation Out of Nothing: A Biblical, Philosophical, and Scientific Exploration (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004). 3. On the topic of randomness and divine activity: David A. Thomas and Paul F. Barcenas, “Chaos: Crucible of Creation,” College and University Dialogue 4, no. 3 (1992): 12-15. Available online at http:// dialogue.adventist.org/numbers/04.3_English.pdf 4. Additional resources: www.grisda.org http://grisda.wordpress.com/ www.facebook.com/Geoscienceresearchinstitute
S P I R I T
O F
P R O P H E C Y
By Ellen G. White
in Disguise Infidelity Making the plain obscure
T
he first week, in which God performed the work of creation in six days and rested on the seventh day, was just like every other week. . . . The weekly cycle of seven literal days, six for labor and the seventh for rest, which has been preserved and brought down through Bible history, originated in the great facts of the first seven days. . . . But the infidel supposition, that the events of the first week required seven vast, indefinite periods for their accomplishment, strikes directly at the foundation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. It makes indefinite and obscure that which God has made very plain. It is the worst kind of infidelity; for with many who profess to believe the record of creation, it is infidelity in disguise. . . . Infidel geologists claim that the world is very much older than the Bible record makes it. They reject the testimony of God’s Word because of those things which are to them evidences from the earth itself. . . . Bones of men and animals are found . . . showing that much larger men and beasts once existed. . . . Because the bones found are so much larger than those of men and animals now living, or that have existed for many generations past, some conclude that the earth was populated long before the record of creation, by a race of beings vastly superior in size. . . . Those who reason in this manner have limited ideas of the size of men, animals, and trees before the flood, and of the great changes which then took place in the earth. Without Bible history, geology can prove nothing. Relics found in the earth do give evidence of a state of things differing in many respects from the present. But the time of their existence can be learned only from the inspired record. . . . When men leave the Word of God, and seek to account for His creative works upon natural principles, they are upon a boundless ocean of uncertainty. . . . The Word of God is given as a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path. Those who cast His Word behind them, and seek by their own blind philosophy to penetrate
the mysteries of Jehovah, will stumble in darkness. . . . God has given sufficient evidence upon which to base faith, if [one] wishes to believe. In the last days, the earth will be almost destitute of true faith. Upon the merest pretense, the Word of God will be considered unreliable, while human reasoning will be received, though it be in opposition to plain Scripture facts. Men will endeavor to explain from natural causes the work of creation. But just how God wrought in the work of creation He has never revealed to men. . . . “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever.” Men professing to be ministers of God raise their voices against the investigation of prophecy, and tell the people that the prophecies, especially of Daniel and John, are obscure, and that we cannot understand them. Yet some of these very men eagerly receive the suppositions of geologists, which dispute the Mosaic record. But if God’s revealed will is so difficult to be understood, certainly men should not rest their faith upon mere suppositions in regard to that which He has not revealed. . . . In [God’s] providence men, beasts, and trees, many times larger than those now upon the earth, were buried at the time of the flood, and thus preserved to prove to man that the inhabitants of the old world perished by a flood. God designed that the discovery of these things in the earth should establish faith in inspired history. But men, with their vain reasoning, make a wrong use of these things which God designed should lead them to exalt Him. They fall into the same error as did the people before the flood—those things which God gave them as a benefit, they turned into a curse, by making a wrong use of them. n
Without Bible history, geology can prove nothing.
This article was first published in Signs of the Times, March 20, 1879. Seventh-day Adventists believe that Ellen G. White (18271915) exercised the biblical gift of prophecy during more than 70 years of public ministry.
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N A D F E AT U R E
THINKING OF OTHERS: Kelli Czaykowsky, of Clarkston, Georgia, helped establish F.R.E.E. (Friends of Refugees providing Education and Empowerment), to serve the immigrant population in her city.
Reaching the
World
on Our
Immigrants come looking for opportunities.
I
f you were to guess what area Time magazine named the most diverse square mile in the United States, what would you guess? Somewhere in New York City or Los Angeles? You might not have guessed Clarkston, Georgia, but a 1.1-square-mile area in Clarkston is home to people who speak 60 different languages.1 That fact is interesting from any perspective, but from the standpoint of missions, it represents a fascinating opportunity, one that has not escaped the notice of Adventists in the area.
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Kelli Czaykowsky, a busy mother in Clarkston, discovered thousands of refugees in her area, fell in love with them, enlisted others, and established FREE (Friends of Refugees Providing Education and Empowerment), through which they raise funds for refugee children’s education and other needs. As a result of their work, together with that of Richard Henderson, a truck driver who pioneered the refugee ministry there, and others supporting the ministry, 65 refugee children have attended an Adventist summer camp for the first time, 17 have attended
FIRST TO GRADUATE: Janice (Paw Moo) Mer is the first person in her family to graduate from academy. She wants to become a nurse to serve others. She was supported by F.R.E.E.
borns with leaves, and both survived. In the five years since they have lived in the United States, Jasmine (as Paw Moo is known here) has worked hard to learn English and care for her four siblings so her mother can work to support the family. She sold magabooks last summer to help pay for her tuition at Atlanta Adventist Academy. “She has the faith of the strongest Adventist I have ever met,” says Czaykowsky. “She has encouraged me to start reading a chapter a night with her in our Bibles. She told me this would help us accomplish what we need for the refugee people.” Jasmine’s goal is to attend college to pursue a nursing degree. She wants to go back to the refugee camps in Thailand and help her people. She is not alone. Many of the children supported by FREE want to be teachers, doctors, nurses, or pastors so that they can return to help their people. More Than a Dream
By Terri Saelee
The idea of helping the people back home is more than just a dream. When refugees, immigrants, and visitors to North America encounter God’s love and truth, they share it with those they love back home. A pastor in Chicago discovered this when some members of his multicultural church brought their father, visiting from India, to his evangelistic series. The man attended faithfully, was convicted of the truth of the message, and was baptized. He returned to India with a purpose: to convert his 300-member nondenominational church in the mountains of India to the Adventist faith. He “happened” to be their pastor. The Sihavongs, a family fleeing from persecution in their home country, learned about God in a refugee camp in Thailand. Resettling in the United States, they found an Adventist church and began inviting friends to attend with them, eventually launching the Lao church plant in Holland, Michigan. But they longed for their relatives back home to know God. So when the political situation was calm enough for them to go back to visit, they prayerfully shared their faith with their relatives, and they have now raised up another church in their hometown in Laos, a country closed to missionaries.
They often find the gospel. Adventist schools, and 28 more are on a waiting list hoping to enroll this fall. Paw Moo Mer, FREE’s first graduate, was born in the jungles of Myanmar (Burma) while her mother was trying to escape the gunfire of the soldiers sent to cleanse the country of Paw Moo’s language group, the Karen, to whom Adventist missionary Eric B. Hare (fondly known as Dr. Rabbit) had taken the gospel. Paw Moo’s parents feared that she and her twin brother would starve or die of exposure right there in the jungle, but they covered the new-
A Divine Plan
Stories like these happen all the time, and they are no accident. They are part of God’s strategic plan to reach 2.9 billion people, or 41 percent of the world’s population in 7,183 people groups still unreached by the everlasting gospel of His love and salvation.2 August 2013 | Adventist World - nad
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ONLY ONE: This Bhutanese congregation in Greensboro, North Carolina, is the only one in North America that speaks Nepali.
Ellen White wrote: “If we were quick in discerning the opening providences of God, we should be able to see in the multiplying opportunities to reach many foreigners in America a divinely appointed means of rapidly extending the third angel’s message into all the nations of earth. God in His providence has brought men to our very doors and thrust them, as it were, into our arms, that they might learn the truth, and be qualified to do a work we could not do in getting the light before men of other tongues.”3 Providential Openings
whether we catch His vision and cooperate with Him in implementing this “divinely appointed purpose” of reaching “the stranger in our midst.” Be Alert!
I walked into a tiny consignment shop in Colfax, California, a small town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas a few years ago. I was surprised to see an Asian girl sitting at a desk, writing a letter. I love to guess where people are from, and the beautiful cherrywood stationery box on the desk beside her reminded me of one some Japanese friends had given me. So I ventured a Japanese greeting I had learned. “Ohio gozaimas!” I said, trying to simulate the graceful Japanese bow. The surprise on her face told me that she could at least recognize what I was trying to say. This started a friendship that enabled me to refer her to Chris Ishii, then our Japanese pastor in Los Angeles, when she decided to move there to study. She stayed with his family, attended church with them, was warmly welcomed by the youth group, joined Bible studies, and soon decided to be baptized. Now she is back in Japan, happily married to a faithful young Adventist. Every holiday brings a lovely exotic handmade card from this precious friend, a sign of her gratitude for my small part in introducing her to God.
The very first impulse of the renewed heart is to bring others, also, to the Savior.
According to one source, the past 10 years have seen the greatest migration of people groups in history. Most major news sources in both the United States and Canada have published articles about “the changing face of America/Canada.” Canada has “welcomed an unprecedented number of permanent and temporary residents.”4 In the United States the Population Reference Bureau reports the arrival of an average of 104,000 foreigners a day. This includes both temporary visitors for tourism, business, and study, and immigrants intending to settle permanently, including refugees and those who have fled famine, persecution, and war.5 God, in His love, is turning the curse of political turmoil, famine, and religious persecution in many countries into an eternal blessing. He’s using these conditions to bring millions of unreached people from the most distant, dangerous, and hard-to-reach areas of the world right into Christian communities in the very countries known for the most freedoms. Here in North America they can learn about their Creator and Redeemer and discover the blessing of eternal life. However, whether or not that blessing actually reaches these precious souls, as God intends, depends largely on
Opportunities Become Churches
Opportunities to reach the unreached with God’s love may crop up anytime, anywhere, when we least expect them. While Clarkston, Georgia, tops the diversity charts, the mission opportunities presented there are echoed all across the United States and Canada. In Greensboro, North Carolina, Fabian Reid taught math to students who had recently arrived from other August 2013 | Adventist World - nad
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It’s what strengthens our hope.
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w w w. a d ve n t i s t wo r l d. o rg Adventist World - nad | August 2013 Like us on Facebook
N A D F E AT U R E
NO ROOM FOR KIDS: This Karen congregation in Clarkston, Georgia, meets in a rented Methodist church. With barely enough room for adults in Sabbath school, kids have to sit in a nearby hallway.
countries. Reaching out to them and their families, he has helped launch three church plants among groups that we now know are among the largest, most diverse refugee groups currently resettling in North America: Karen refugees from Myanmar, Montagnard refugees from Vietnam, and Nepali speaking refugees from Bhutan. These groups are significant in more ways than one. Not only are refugees from Myanmar and Bhutan the two largest refugee groups now resettling in the United States—all three groups are from countries to which it is difficult to send missionaries. So Reid and his team are reaching not one but three distinct people groups from countries they could not enter as missionaries, and all from their home in North Carolina. How could Fabian Reid manage to launch three cross-cultural church plants while working fulltime as a math teacher? He cares. Reid takes a personal interest in his students, visits their families, and takes the time to help where they need help. He shares the vision. Several members have joined Reid in personally doing all they can to help these new worship groups, including bringing them to church and teaching them to drive so that they can bring others with them to church. He prays and persists. The enemy of souls is intent on keeping people in darkness, so the obstacles Reid and his team have encountered are unbelievable. But as they persistently work and pray they have seen miracles more amazing than the obstacles. He finds leaders from within the language groups and empowers them to lead their own people. Two of the congregations (Montagnard and Karen) now function with their own leaders. The Bhutanese group, however, had no Bhutanese Adventists to lead the group. But through a series of
miracles God put Reid in touch with a Nepali-speaking Adventist in California, who taught the group via Skype for several months until he was able to make a trip to North Carolina for a month of intensive training. Now this group, which had never before heard about the Sabbath or Seventh-day Adventists, is sharing their faith. God is working miracles through them to grow the church. He gives God the glory. Reid has told me that God is working in such miraculous ways that he cannot take any credit for the miraculous growth. One key to success is to remember that, once they know God, leaders from within the ethnolinguistic group can “do a work we could not do� among their own people, especially if we empower them, trust them, and prayerfully support them. More than 100 church plants in North America are among refugee language groups fleeing persecution. Nearly all of these congregations are led primarily by indigenous leadership.
Opportunities are opening on every side. Press into every providential opening.
A Great Work Yet to Be Done
Yet so many precious souls still need to be reached. Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugees are now the largest refugee language group in the United States. But only one organized Seventh-day Adventist congregation serves them. Biju, a member of that group, gave up his job to keep Sabbath. He saw God providentially restore his job after that step of faith, and asked Reid two questions that troubled him deeply: 1. How is it that we have been in the refugee camps in Nepal for 20 years, and no Seventh-day Adventist has ever come to share the truth? Why are Seventh-day Adventists not witnessing to the Nepali people in more states? August 2013 | Adventist World - nad
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“And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Him.” —LUKE 24:27
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Tragically, in many other language groups right here among us, there is no one to even ask those questions, because the entire language/ethnic group is still unreached. Jesus has entrusted us with the awesome responsibility of sharing the gift of salvation. He is now making our job easier by bringing many of the unreached right into our communities. Who will step out of his or her comfort zone and reach out, cross-culturally, to love the unreached to Jesus? Does the task seem overwhelming? Do not despair. Ellen White wrote, “However small your talent, God has a place for it. That one talent, wisely used, will accomplish its appointed work. By faithfulness in little duties, we are to work on the plan of addition, and God will work for us on the plan of multiplication”6 If we are faithful in reaching out cross-culturally to the unreached here, the souls we reach will “do a work we cannot do” in the regions beyond. “There is a great work before us,” wrote Ellen White. “The world is to be warned. The truth is to be translated into many languages, that all nations may enjoy its pure, life-giving influence. This work calls for the exercise of all the tal-
ents that God has entrusted to our keeping—the pen, the press, the voice, the purse, and the sanctified affections of the soul. Christ has made us ambassadors to make known His salvation to the children of men; and if we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ and are filled with the joy of His indwelling Spirit, we shall not be able to hold our peace”7 Will you do your part? n www.clarkstonga.gov/index.php/about/interesting-facts. www.joshuaproject.net/great-commission-statistics.php. In Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Oct. 29, 1914. (Italics supplied.) 4 www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2009/2009-02-20.asp. 5 www.prb.org/Publications/PopulationBulletins/2010/immigrationupdate1.aspx. 6 Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1900), p. 360. 7 Ellen G. White, Evangelism (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1946), pp. 570, 571. 1 2 3
Terri Saelee is coordinator of Adventist Refugee and Immigrant Ministries for the North American Division. To learn more, visit www.refugeeministries.org or www.immigrantministries.org, or contact Terri.Saelee@nad. adventist.org and watch for the release of the new CrossCultural Mission Kit at www.ReachTheWorldFromHere.org.
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B I B L E
Q U E S T I O N S
My plan for reading the Bible in a year forces me to read chapters of genealogies. The longest list so far is 1 Chronicles 1-9. What are those chapters about?
A N S W E R E D
Names, Names, Names
I will briefly describe how the list is put together, then discuss its significance. 1. Content of the Genealogy: This genealogy begins with the pre-Israelite history from Adam or Creation (1 Chron. 1:1-3) to the Flood (verse 4), and from the post-Flood nations (verses 5-26) to Abraham (verse 27). From this point on, the list of names is restricted to the sons of Abraham through Hagar (verses 29-31), Keturah (verses 32, 33), and Sarah (verse 34). The genealogy narrows down even more by listing only the descendants of Isaac (Esau [verses 35-54] and Israel [1 Chron. 2:1, 2]). At this point we reach what seems to be one of the main genealogical interests of the biblical writer: Israel as the people of God. The tribes that came out of Jacob/Israel are listed beginning with Judah (1 Chron. 2:34:23). The intention of this section is to take the reader to David and his descendants (1 Chron. 3:1-24). Other descendants of Judah are also listed (1 Chron. 4:1-23). Then the descendants of the other tribes are given. It has been suggested that the list of the tribes follow a general geographical pattern. Judah is at the center and the next one mentioned is Simeon (verses 24-43), one of its closest neighbors. The movement is from south to north, east of Jordan (Reuben [1 Chron. 5:1-10]; Gad [verses 5:11-22]; the half tribe of Manasseh [verses 23-26]; and Levi [1 Chron. 6:1-80]). This is followed by the northern tribes of Issachar (1 Chron. 7:1-5), Benjamin (verses 6-12), and Naphtali (verse 13), and concludes with a movement from the north to the south (Manasseh [verses 14-19]; Ephraim [verses 20-29]; Asher [verses 30-40]; and Benjamin/Saul [1 Chron. 8:1-40]). In chapter 9 we find a genealogical list of those who returned from exile, with a primary emphasis on the Levites (verses 1-34). We finally return to the genealogy of Saul, thus preparing the way for the reign of David (verses 35-44). 2. Significance of the Genealogy: First, it is obvious that this genealogy is a compressed history with a global dimension. It begins by affirming the historical facts of
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Creation and the Flood, and closes with the beginning of the reign of David. But it also includes the Exile and the return from the Exile, providing an element of hope. At a time when the people of God were discouraged as a result of the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple, and a return from the Exile that was depressing, God tells them that they are part of a history over which He is Lord. This history has not come to an end but remains open to His guiding hand, as it has been in the past. Second, history is depicted as a result of the human capacity, given by God, to generate children. This begetting traces the human race to a common ancestor created by God in His image: Adam. This particular genealogy binds the people of God to the human race in a bond of existential solidarity that should exclude prejudices of any kind. The birth of Abraham in the list takes us back to his election to be used by God to bless all nations of the earth. Third, this genealogy, based on the amount of space assigned to it, places the emphasis on David and the priesthood (Levites). Genealogies were sometimes instrumental in the divine assignment of specific religious and social responsibilities and privileges to some persons, but every individual had a role to play in the arena of history by the simple fact of being begotten. In the Bible the offices of king and priest play an important role as instruments used by God to represent the saving work and ministry of Jesus in whom the kingly and priestly offices congeal. Jesus was not simply the son of Mary. He was the Son of God in a unique way, and to Him His Father assigned a unique responsibility that He willingly accepted: the redemption of the human race. There is much to learn from biblical genealogies. Next time you have to read one, don’t just read it, but study it carefully and reflectively. You will find embedded in the list of names many, many blessings. n
Angel Manuel RodrĂguez has served the
church as a pastor, professor, author, and theologian. He now lives in Texas, U.S.A.
B I B L E
S T U D Y
By Mark A. Finley
LivingWith Uncertainty H
ave you ever struggled with unanswerable questions? Have you ever wondered why certain things happened in your life? Does the future seem dark and uncertain? In this month’s Bible lesson we will discover not only how to live, but how to thrive, with uncertainty. We will examine biblical principles that enable us to accept what we cannot understand, embrace life’s challenges, and rejoice in the presence of the One who will never leave us or forsake us.
1
Is it necessary to accept the reality that we will not understand some things until eternity? Read Deuteronomy 29:29 to discover the answer. Our loving Lord will not explain some things until eternity. He invites us to live with uncertainty. All our questions will not be answered in this life.
2
Since we cannot understand everything, does that mean we cannot have peace of mind until we are able to understand why certain things happened? Read carefully Philippians 4:7. What do you discover? Paul wrote about “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.” While our minds may not understand, our hearts can still trust. When we live with uncertainty, we can still trust the One who holds the future in His hands, and rest in His love and care.
3 Why doesn’t Jesus answer all our questions now? Review John 16:12 to find an eternal principle. In His mercy Jesus does not answer all of our questions now. He explained to His own disciples that they could not “bear” to hear everything He wanted to tell them. If He revealed everything to us at once, it would overwhelm us.
4 Read John 8:12 and 12:35. What does Jesus tell us about living in uncertain times? Jesus invites us to walk in the light we have and not worry about the uncertainties on the road ahead. In times of our darkest need, Jesus reveals the light of His presence. He encourages us to embrace the light He reveals, to rest in the warmth of His presence, and to cherish the joy of knowing He will meet all of our needs (Phil. 4:19).
5 What assurance does Jesus give us in uncertain times? Notice the five things He promises in Isaiah 41:10. 6
Will our questions ever be answered? Will we have to live with nagging unanswered questions forever? Read 1 Corinthians 13:12. Today we see through a glass darkly. We live with uncertainty and unanswered questions. But the day is coming when God will reveal His answers to us, and we will marvel at His love, wisdom, and eternal power.
7
How can we thrive in life’s toughest times? Two scriptural passages provide an answer: 1 Peter 5:7 and 2 Corinthians 5:7. Jesus invites us to cast all of our “care upon Him.” We can throw the full weight of our anxiety on the Savior who died for us, now lives for us, and is soon coming again for us. Living by faith, trusting in His grace, we are secure in the midst of our uncertainties, now and forever. n August 2013 | Adventist World - nad
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IDEA EXCHANGE Let’s stop using the word ‘plan’— the planning is over. — M ilton Lenheim, California, United States
Letters A Treasure
The May 2013 Adventist World is an issue to be treasured. Blessings and more blessings! Jack Blanco C ollegedale, Tennessee, United States On Plans and Programs
I always look forward to reading Adventist World and considering the various opinions of writers expressed therein. This time I am sending along some of my own comments. In the article “God’s Time Clock Reveals His Plan” by Alice R. Voorheis (May 2013), I couldn’t help noticing the word “plan.” My dictionary indicates that a plan is something that is in the “drawing
Prayerw
board stage” and has yet to go into action. Isn’t it quite obvious that this world has gone past the planning stages and that we are now near the end of what God intended to take place in world history? Aren’t we near the climax? A synonym for “plan” is “program,” yet I don’t recall any Adventist literature mentioning a program in their subject matter—it’s always “plan.” . . . An excellent article by Lisa Beardsley, “BMW Welt and the Theater of the Universe,” which appeared in the November 2010 Adventist World, summed up the experience of life as we know it. We all have a role to play in God’s drama of life. Ellen White’s life is a prime example of how one can be involved in the formation of a church. Another example is how Moses was chosen to lead the children of Israel out of bondage. This is the computer age. We should start using more appropriate words that describe a given situation. Let’s stop using the word “plan”—the planning is over. Milton Lenheim California, United States
Bible Questions Answered
I try to read as many articles as I can from Adventist World. The magazine leads me to a better level—it helps me strengthen my beliefs as an Adventist. For that reason, I thank you for printing Angel Manuel Rodríguez’s column Bible Questions Answered, where he gives answers according to the Bible. Niyo Theo Via E-mail
The Heavenly Sanctuary
Praise God for Mark Finley, his family, and their God-appointed ministries. Thank you for printing the Bible study “When the Heavenly Sanctuary Is Cleansed” (October 2007).
PRAISE
I want to start a poultry project. I plan to channel most of the funds toward the advancement of God’s work. Please pray for me. Linos, Zimbabwe
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My daughter is graduating from high school and wants to attend Mountain View College. I cannot afford to send her there. Please pray for us. Rosalio, Philippines
Adventist World - nad | August 2013
I’m involved in medical missionary work. Please pray for our various projects. Martin, Brazil Please pray for my brother who is severely depressed. Pray that he surrenders and seeks God. Ratna, Indonesia
While reading the article “Malamulo: God’s Outpost,” by Adrienne James and Sandy Mattison (March 2012), I found this interesting: Adventists all around the world are best known for the law, and how we teach it to others. And we are even named after “people of the law.” In Malawi certain pioneer churches like to use the term malamulo, which some define as “law.” Other schools and churches are named Malamulo, in addition to the hospital. Thank you for this article. I would like to encourage my brothers and sisters to read it and, in faith, to live by the truth we have. John Kalinga Malawi
ANSWER:
Malamulo
Where in theWorld Is This? A group of believers in the Solomon Islands meet in a simple chapel to study their Sabbath school lesson. From a handful, the number has grown to nearly 50. The group hopes to build a more substantial building in the future. See “A Packet of Seeds” elsewhere in this issue.
And thank you all for working with Christ and the hosts of heaven in the saving of souls. Keep up the good work! Lona Downer-McHugh London, England
Thanks
I very much enjoy your magazine. Thank you, and may God bless you. Jailton Gomes D emocratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe Letters Policy: Please send to: letters@adventistworld.org. Letters must be clearly written, 100-word maximum. Include the name of the article and the date of publication with your letter. Also include your name, the town/city, state, and country from which you are writing. Letters will be edited for space and clarity. Not all letters submitted will be published.
Please pray for me. My husband died two years ago—I’m not adjusting well to living alone. Alma, Canada Pray for unity in our church and for interested families who are keen for Bible study. Saleshni, Fiji
Revived by His Word A Journey of Discovery Together through the Bible God speaks to us through His Word. Join with other believers in more than 180 countries who are reading a chapter of the Bible each day. To download the daily Bible Reading Guide, visit RevivedbyHisWord.org, or sign up to receive the daily Bible chapter by e-mail. To join this initiative, start here: SEPTEMBER 1, 2013 • Psalm 25
Pray for God’s guidance. Things haven’t worked out as expected. Pray that things may go well for me so I can pay what I promised. Samuel, Uganda
The Place of Prayer: Send prayer requests and praise (thanks for answered prayer) to prayer@adventistworld.org. Keep entries short and concise, 50-words or less. Items will be edited for space and clarity. Not all submissions will be printed. Please include your name and your country’s name. You may also fax requests to: 1-301-680-6638; or mail them to Adventist World, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600 U.S.A.
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IDEA EXCHANGE “Behold, I come quickly…” Our mission is to uplift Jesus Christ, uniting Seventh-day Adventists everywhere in beliefs, mission, life, and hope.
192 Years Ago James Springer White was born in Palmyra, Palmyra, Maine, United Maine, States United on States Auguston4,August 1821, a 4, 1821, a descendant descendant of the firstofEnglish the first settlers English who settlers in settled who Massachusetts settled in Massachusetts in 1620. in 1620. Trained as a schoolteacher, White joined the Advent movement movein ment in 1842, after 1842, hearing after the hearing preaching the preaching of William of William Miller and Miller Joshua andV. Joshua V. Himes. Armed Himes. with Armed a prophetic with a prophetic chart, a few chart, tracts, a few andtracts, a borrowed and a borrowed horse, White traveled horse,throughout White traveled Newthroughout England preaching New England about the preaching soon return about of Christ. the soon return of Christ. In 1846 James married Ellen Harmon, and the two of them spent spentlives their theirnurturing lives nurturing the movement the movement that officially that officially became became the Sevthe Seventh-day enth-day Adventist Adventist ChurchChurch in 1863.inAt1863. various At various times he times served he as served as president president of the General of theConference General Conference and editorand of the editor Advent of the Review Advent and Sabbath Review Herald, and Sabbath Youth’s Herald, Instructor, Youth’s and Instructor, Signs of theand Times. Signs of the Times.
top The following union conferences have the highest number of full-time literature evangelists:
Publisher The Adventist World, an international periodical of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The General Conference, Northern Asia-Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists®, is the publisher. Executive Publisher and Editor in Chief Bill Knott Associate Publisher Claude Richli International Publishing Manager Chun, Pyung Duk Publishing Board Ted N. C. Wilson, chair; Benjamin D. Schoun, vice chair; Bill Knott, secretary; Lisa Beardsley-Hardy; Daniel R. Jackson; Robert Lemon; Geoffrey Mbwana; G. T. Ng; Daisy Orion; Juan Prestol; Michael Ryan; Ella Simmons; Mark Thomas; Karnik Doukmetzian, legal advisor Adventist World Coordinating Committee Lee, Jairyong, chair; Akeri Suzuki; Kenneth Osborn; Guimo Sung; Chun, Pyung Duk; Han, Suk Hee Editors based in Silver Spring, Maryland Lael Caesar, Gerald A. Klingbeil (associate editors), Sandra Blackmer, Stephen Chavez, Wilona Karimabadi, Mark A. Kellner, Kimberly Luste Maran Editors based in Seoul, Korea Chun, Pyung Duk; Chun, Jung Kwon; Park, Jae Man Online Editor Carlos Medley Operations Manager Merle Poirier Quality Assurance/Social Media Coordinator Jean Boonstra Editor-at-large Mark A. Finley Senior Advisor E. Edward Zinke Financial Manager Rachel J. Child Editorial Assistant Marvene Thorpe-Baptiste Assistant to the Editor Gina Wahlen Management Board Jairyong Lee, chair; Bill Knott, secretary; P. D. Chun, Karnik Doukmetzian, Suk Hee Han, Kenneth Osborn, Juan Prestol, Claude Richli, Akeri Suzuki, Ex-officio: Robert Lemon, G. T. Ng, Ted N. C. Wilson Art Direction and Design Jeff Dever, Brett Meliti Consultants Ted N. C. Wilson, Robert E. Lemon, G. T. Ng, Guillermo E. Biaggi, Lowell C. Cooper, Daniel R. Jackson, Geoffrey Mbwana, Armando Miranda, Pardon K. Mwansa, Michael L. Ryan, Blasious M. Ruguri, Benjamin D. Schoun, Ella S. Simmons, Alberto C. Gulfan, Jr., Erton Köhler, Jairyong Lee, Israel Leito, John Rathinaraj, Paul S. Ratsara, Barry Oliver, Bruno Vertallier, Gilbert Wari, Bertil A. Wiklander
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Tanzania
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North Philippine
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Zambia (Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division)
To Writers: We welcome unsolicited manuscripts. Address all editorial correspondence to 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600, U.S.A. Editorial office fax number: (301) 680-6638
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South Philippine
E-mail: worldeditor@gc.adventist.org Web site: www.adventistworld.org
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Kenya
(East-Central Africa Division) (Southern Asia-Pacific Division)
(Southern Asia-Pacific Division) (East-Central Africa Division) Source: Publishing Digest
Unless otherwise indicated, all Bible references are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. Adventist World is published monthly and printed simultaneously in Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, Germany, Austria, and the United States. Vol. 9, No. 8
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Adventist World - nad | August 2013
THE BEARDED QUEEN Why Did Pharaoh Disfigure Her Face?
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