AW NAD English-July 2017 by Adventist World Magazine

The International Paper for Seventh-day Adventists

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North American Division | n a d

July 2017 C O V E R

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God’s Past Is Our Present By Markus Kutzschbach

God’s story is lived out in humanity.

10 Making Connections

By Michael W. Campbell

26 A Living Heritage

By Anne Woodworth

God finds us where we are, and takes us places we never would have imagined.

32 Who Am I?

F U N D A M E N T A L

By René Franchiger and Chantal J. Klingbeil

29 From Neglected Continent to Land of Hope

By Renato Stencel

30 Remember the Mighty Acts of God

V I S T A

B E L I E F S

By John Skrzypaszek

28 Humble Beginnings

A conversation about theological education with Lisa Beardsley-Hardy and Geoffrey Mbwana.

By Michael Sokupa

24 What God Has Wrought in Asia

C O N V E R S A T I O N

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23 From South to North

8 Staying Together Across Cultures

By Merlin D. Burt

By Gerald A. Klingbeil

We were created for community.

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F E AT U R E

Border Crossings and Faith Community Nursing

By Kimberly Luste Maran

Evangelism takes many forms.

40 Reflections of Jesus A D V E N T I S T

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D E PA RT M E N T S 3 W O R

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News Feature NAD News NAD Update NAD Letters NAD Perspective

By Michael Chesanek

Jesus attracted people when He was on earth. He still does.

19 W O R L D Juicing

H E A L T H

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B L E Q U E S T I O N S A N S W E R E D

The Man of Sin

www.adventistworld.org Available in 10 languages online

43 B I B L E S T U D Y Thriving in Difficult Days I D 44 S P 46

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I R I T P R O P H E C Y

Our Godly Heritage

The Adventist World® (ISSN 1557-5519), one of the Adventist Review® family of publications, is printed monthly by the Pacific Press® Publishing Association. Copyright © 2017. Send address changes to your local conference membership clerk. Contact information should be available through your local church. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Vol. 13, No. 7, July 2017.

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The Call of Stories

WORLD REPORT By Adventist World Staff

General Conference

Spring Meeting Summary Executive Committee meets to consider global decisions.

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Juan PrestolPuesán treasurer, shows the turn around in net assets of the church during 2016 at the 2017 Spring Meeting.

B R E N T

“Tell me a story.” It is one of the first requests our childish lips learn how to form. Just as soon as we have food enough and arms to comfort us, we want stories—multiples of them— until at last we fall asleep, our minds alight with places we have never been and people we may never meet. From infancy to old age we learn about our world, our family, and our faith through the simple but profound medium of stories. Stories are also the way we draw nourishment from all that has gone before us, the way we make sense of the past. We discover our identity through family stories told around the dinner table: we create bonds with long-ago relatives and characters—even Bible characters—who form that “cloud of witnesses” to which the Scriptures point us. We learn to be brave like Daniel and Esther; how to repent from David and from Mary Magdalene; how to live in grace like the apostle Paul. Faithful stories are the way we take a thousand bits of data and turn them into a tale that moves and shines, and makes the hearts of another generation beat a little faster. But every time we open up the volume of the past, we come face to face with both its inspiring and sobering experiences. We see again the faces of those we loved, as well as those who made our stories miserable. We call to mind the times God gave victory to our work, and we remember how He also let us learn the foolishness of trusting in ourselves. The worldwide movement of Seventhday Adventism has hundreds—thousands—of faith-building stories that deserve and even demand a wider, fuller telling. This edition of Adventist World is designed to open a few of them by pointing you to the places they unfolded and the remarkable men and women who dared and dreamed and sacrificed for the gospel. Read to enjoy—and then to tell.

he Executive Committee of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists meets twice a year to discuss items of significance, consider departmental reports, and vote on various proposals and initiatives. The Spring Meeting, as the first of these meetings is called, convened in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, April 11-12, 2017. Full stories of each summary are available online by following the link provided. Financial Turnaround God’s Work, Says Treasurer

The treasurer of the General Conference, Juan Prestol-Puesán, said that the financial turnaround the church headquarters experienced in 2016 is nothing less than God’s intervention. The General Conference, which ended 2015 with a US$20 million decrease in its net assets, is back in the black, as it broke even and even finished 2016 with a US$1 million surplus. The $21-million turnaround, said Prestol-Puesán, “testifies of God’s answers to prayer.” Prestol-Puesán acknowledged some changes in worldwide political and economic arenas have helped to give the 2016 report a more positive result. He mentioned several specific elements: the U.S. market decline expected after electoral contests did not occur, and the total gross tithe reported by the North American Division reached US$1 billion for the first time. Prestol-Puesán also emphasized that the General Conference faces financial challenges in the future, partly because of a decline of tithe. As per General Conference Working Policy (V 09 05 2d), the Continued on next page

July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

WORLD REPORT

Statement on Transgenderism

Members of the Executive Committee voted to accept a statement on transgenderism. While the statement acknowledges “the limitation of our knowledge in specific instances,” the 1,400-word document sets out to define key terms commonly used when referring to the topic, then review the biblical principles relating to sexuality and what it calls “the transgender phenomenon.” The section on biblical principles is based on the belief that “Scripture provides principles for guidance and counsel to transgender people and the church, transcending human conventions and culture.” It includes advice for church leaders and members engaging with transgender visitors or adherents in their local congregations. The statement explains that “due to contemporary trends to reject the biblical gender binary (male and female) and replace it with a growing spectrum of gender types, certain choices triggered by the transgender condition have come to be regarded as normal and accepted in contemporary culture.” These trends, states the document, present problems for Biblebelieving people, since “the desire to change or live as a person of another gender may result in biblically inappropriate lifestyle choices.”

H A R D I N G E / A N N

Artur Stele, a Seventh-day Adventist church vice president, introduces the Statement on Transgenderism during the 2017 Spring Meeting in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.

B R E N T

North American Division (NAD) church region, which in 2016 contributed 6.85 percent of its tithe to GC operations, will contribute 6.60 percent this year, and 6.35 percent in 2018. In 2019 the division will transfer 6.10 percent of its tithe, and from 2020 onward will contribute 5.85 percent, leaving more NAD funds available for mission in its territory. Read the full story at goo.gl/1TS8LB.

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Artur Stele, a General Conference vice president and chair of the committee that oversaw the process of preparing the document observed: “Many groups and committees have been involved in providing guidance and counsel.” The Biblical Research Institute (BRI), a major contributor to the document, “sought advice, counsel, and feedback from theologians, medical specialists, and psychologists from inside and outside the church,” he said. The committee’s “main goal was to provide a biblical and Christlike approach.” “This topic is like a moving target,” explained Dr. Peter Landless, Health Ministries director of the General Conference, “with changing explanations, understandings, and ideas, which vary from day to day in reported science and the popular press. “We need to remember at all times that we are dealing with people. Christ is our example, and has shown us how to relate and keep that precious mission of people foremost in our thinking and in our actions. All that we do and say needs to be drenched with the love and compassion of Christ,” said Landless. Read the full story and voted statement at goo.gl/c7zZgm.

Global Visual Identity Adopted

The Seventh-day Adventist Church operates in more than 200 countries and territories around the world, in more than 900 languages, making it almost impossible to create a cohesive visual identity, something administrators and church leaders hope to change. The new identity system is functional and consistent in every language where the church is present. Because the Adventist Church represents a myriad of cultures and design styles, recommending a universal color system, or even regionally appropriate color systems, was considered ineffective and costprohibitive. So local designers and church leaders will be able to choose designs that work best in their regions. “We wanted this new design to specifically incorporate our beliefs,” says Williams Costa, Jr., director of Communication for the Seventh-day Adventist world church. “This new design feature reflects the importance of Creation and the seventh-day Sabbath to Seventh-day Adventists.” Read the full story, and link to the identity Web site, at goo.gl/Wgi5ho. n

By Marcos Paseggi, senior correspondent, Adventist World

Updated Pastoral

Ethics Document Voted New version includes section on child safety and background checks.

he International Board of Ministerial and Theological Education (IBMTE) voted on April 4, 2017, to accept adjustments made to a Ministerial Association document about pastoral ethics, in its session at the Seventh-day Adventist Church headquarters. The action capped a thorough vetting process that involved extensive discussions and consultations across several church departments and regions. The pastoral ethics document is an appendix to the more comprehensive IBMTE Handbook and its chapter “Denominational Statement for Endorsement Process.” The Handbook addresses the process, curriculum, and outcomes of pastoral formation, whereas endorsement pertains to those who teach religion and theology. “[Endorsement] is a means by which those who teach pastors affirm and confess their faith,” said Benjamin Schoun, who chaired the Handbook revision process and is a former chair of the IBMTE. Geoffrey Mbwana, who now chairs the IBMTE, explained that the Handbook is a dynamic document “as times change and realities come to view.” “We went back and looked at the Handbook and saw what we needed to update, and the process was global,” he said.

Education director of the world church, Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, explained that the goal of the board was “to listen to the needs of the field, to be responsive to that, [and] to adapt to it.” She said the process involved “reviewing the Handbook page by page . . . to ensure that what we’re doing in preparing pastors is concordant with mission needs around the world.” Adjustments to the Pastoral Code of Ethics

While the first version of the Pastoral Code of Ethics was recommended by the Ministerial Association in 1992, every time a new edition is prepared, adjustments are made to the text, said Anthony Kent, associate secretary of the Ministerial Association at the General Conference. “The Code of Ethics has been refined and expanded on several occasions, most notably in 1997 with the publication of the Seventh-day Adventist Minister’s Handbook,” he said. The version voted by the IBMTE on April 4 tries to make room for regional differences in procedures in pastoral and ministerial practice, while advocating for a unified system of ethical principles. Particularly in the Pastoral Code of Ethics, the board made its best effort to make the lan-

guage clearer. For example, the phrase “Give full time and attention to the ministry as my only vocation” was changed to “Abide by my employing organization’s employment policies.” The significant changes to the text are included in the “Ethics and the Law” section of the document, with a completely new subsection entitled “Child Safety.” The “Child Safety” paragraph states that “in many countries, it is a legal requirement for those working with children, . . . to attain a police check or equivalent clearance from a government entity.” Thus, pastors ministering in such countries are reminded “to ensure they have the necessary legal clearance to minister to children.” “We need to have clear statements about what our expectations are for protecting children” said BeardsleyHardy. Both the “Physical Facilities” and “Supervision” subsections try to use a vocabulary that makes the physical and emotional well-being of everyone involved in church activities a priority. At the same time, they strive to protect the church from legal liability. The updated version of the “Staff Background” subsection reminds that “one way to avoid problems with employees or volunteers is to be aware of their background.” A careful vetting process may inform the selection of employees or volunteers, helping to “avoid problems with those who are unfit for service.” “Pastors and theological teachers are held to high ethical standards, and the updated document clarifies the ethical expectations for how they conduct themselves,” said Beardsley-Hardy. Continued on next page

July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

WORLD REPORT A Word on the Process

Adventist World - nad | July 2017

By Adventist World Staff

Adventist Review Ministries

Appoints New

C ommunication Director and News Editor Costin Jordache will oversee the ministry’s communications and news operations.

publication, the 168-year-old Adventist Review—the oldest religious publication in North America—forward as multiplatform media publications. The expanded role of director of communication includes developing strategic partnerships with other church communication entities around the world. The defined goal is “to enhance the exposure, effectiveness, and missional reach” of the Adventist Review Ministries publications “with print, television, radio, Web-based,

H A R D I N G E

dventist Review Ministries (ARMies) recently welcomed a new director of communication and news editor. Costin Jordache, who previously served as vice president for communication in the Central California Conference church region, was named to replace Andrew McChesney, who became an editor at Adventist Mission. Jordache’s news editor role, however, has been significantly expanded, as ARMies moves Adventist World and its parent

B R E N T

The process of updating the Handbook and associated documents on pastoral and ministerial training started in 2015, as an IBMTE Handbook revision task force met at Andrews University for the first set of discussions. Subsequent meetings in the Philippines, Australia, and Kenya shaped the documents as suggestions were discussed and often incorporated. A dialogue session also took place in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, in November 2015 at the annual meetings of the Adventist Society for Religious Studies and the Adventist Theological Society. “[The IBMTE Handbook revision task force] had representation by expertise, by church administrative levels, by region, by the broad areas of ministry,” said Mbwana, as he stressed that the International Board of Ministerial and Theological Education worked “very intentionally” to appoint task force members with the most variety of backgrounds as possible. “We had both men and women representing theological education, pastoral ministry, and those serving in chaplaincy,” said Beardsley-Hardy. Mbwana said he believes that this process, while painstaking, is essential. “The way the Seventh-day Adventist Church does its work is through committees,” he said. Kent also emphasized the consultative nature of the process. “The General Conference Ministerial Association received input from pastors, church administrators, and the Office of General Counsel [OGC], as well as Adventist Risk Management. It has been a thorough process,” he said. n

Costin Jordache, newly appointed director of communication and news editor for Adventist Review Ministries with Bill Knott, executive editor.

O F F I C E

social media, and video production ministries and organizations.” “The old adage says, ‘Make no little plans’; and Costin makes no little plans,” said Bill Knott, executive editor of Adventist Review and Adventist World magazines. “The fundamental difference between his vision and that of so many others is that he also has the management skill and determination to make those plans realities.” Jordache will also serve as official spokesperson for Adventist Review Ministries, interfacing with both internal and external media outlets. Said Jordache, “We are all passionate about striving for a culture in which Adventist news and developments from every part of the world are available to a global audience on a consistent and timely basis.” Jordache plans to emphasize the intersection of the Adventist Church and global news events, as well as develop trends, conversations, and initiatives. His plan includes underlining “the contribution the church makes to the communities in which it exists, and its willingness to partner with communities to improve living conditions, health outcomes, and access to services.” Knott believes that Jordache, a pastor and communication professional who earned a B.A. in theology from Southwestern Adventist University, and holds an M.A. in radio, television, and film from the University of Texas and an M.B.A. from California State University, is uniquely qualified for the expanded role at ARMies. Jordache is married to Leah, a pastor. Costin and Leah are parents of two boys: Roman and Lance. Read the full article at goo.gl/ kpzdN1. n

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A group of about 100 Adventist women met with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni at his residence on March 30, 2017. The president commended the social and educational work of the Adventist Church and pledged to support the women’s social impact activities.

By Marcos Paseggi, senior correspondent, Adventist World

Ugandan President:

“Work to Eradicate Poverty” Leader commends Adventist women for their impact in the country.

resident Yoweri Museveni of Uganda called on women of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to help eradicate household poverty. “Work hard and ensure that you eradicate poverty,” said the president to a delegation of about 100 from Uganda’s Busoga subregion who called on him at the state house in Entebbe on March 30, 2017. The government is supporting theirs and other Ugandans’ efforts through the Operation Wealth Creation Program. According to an official release of the Office of the President, Museveni commended the women for their efforts and noted that he appreciates that Adventists not only talk but act. “You are a community that maintains discipline,” he said. Museveni shared that he benefited from Adventist education. “I received my infant education in a Seventhday Adventist school close to my home,” he said. He noted that over the years the church has helped many young people in their efforts to get an education.

Museveni also said his administration is interested in modern agricultural methods, and assured the delegation of that the government will help provide irrigation equipment for those who need it and can’t afford it. The leader of the Busoga Adventist women delegation, Mary Namuluma Kyebambe, thanked the president for supporting all Ugandans regardless of religion or tribe. “I salute you for having eliminated sectarianism in the country,” she said, as she assured him that he could count on their support. Museveni pledged to donate to the Busoga Seventh-day Adventist Women Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (SACCO), the organization under which this group of women provides various services to their communities. According to the Office of the President, Museveni also pledged to provide them with a pickup truck to facilitate their operations. “Thank you for the Operation Wealth Creation Program,” said Kyebambe. “And thank you for all your national development efforts.” n

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C O N V E R S A T I O N

Staying Together Across Cultures

An inside view of the work of the IBMTE

Gerald Klingbeil

Adventist World associate editor Gerald Klingbeil recently sat down with Geoffrey Mbwana, a General Conference vice president and chair of the International Board of Ministerial and Theological Education (IBMTE), and Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, director of the Department of Education of the General Conference and secretary of the IBMTE, to talk about the process involved in the development of the Denominational Endorsement for professors in theological, ministerial, and religious education. What is the function of the International Board of Ministerial and Theological Education? LB-H: The IBMTE is the board by which the Department of Education and the Ministerial Association work hand-in-hand to prepare pastors. GM: This includes fostering dynamic theological unity in the world church but also sharpening the focus on the Seventh-day Adventist message and mission. It also involves supporting the spiritual and professional development of faculty involved in ministerial programs, promoting professional excellence in ministerial training and practice, and nurturing strong collaboration between church leaders, educational institutions, and the faculty engaged in the training of ministry. Why is fostering unity so essential? LB-H: Because we are a global, multicultural church. We’re not a national church. We span the entire globe, and various places have different needs. Having an entity such as IBMTE allows us to listen to the needs of the field, to be responsive to them and adapt to them, which is why,

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starting in 2015, we began the process of reviewing page by page the Handbook of the IBMTE to ensure that what we’re doing in preparing pastors is concordant with the needs of the field around the world. What is the significance of this endorsement process described in the Handbook? LB-H: The endorsement and the Handbook were voted at our last meetings (on October 3, 2016, and April 5, 2017), but part of the endorsement process includes components, one of which is pastoral ethics. The ethics document was reviewed page by page to ensure that we’re addressing current issues. For example, there’s a new section dealing with child protection and child safety. Another aspect of ethical sexual behavior concerns how we relate to same-sex relationships. What do we do when the pastor is female, not male? Gender-neutral language was included to reflect contemporary realities. GM: This is relative not just to the ethics but to every other component of the handbook. We can see that as times change, this document is a dynamic

document that relates to the whole process of theological ministerial formation. We go back and look at the handbook and see what we really need to update, and the process is global. The handbook covers many different areas, including appropriate curriculum and personal qualities of faculty training future ministers. What would you say to those who may feel that this document encroaches on academic freedom? LB-H: There are limitations on freedom in any academic institution. You can’t say that the moon is blue and insist on that and teach it in your classroom. You can’t say blatantly racist things and expect that to be acceptable. In any academic institution there are limits to the freedom. A key function of academia is to generate new knowledge, but positions that undermine the Fundamental Beliefs of the church need to be brought to the entire church’s attention through an established vetting process and not be introduced in the classroom, where there is such a power differential between teacher and student. One of IBMTE’s expectations for faculty is that they teach in a way consistent with the Fundamental Beliefs of the church and that they use methods of Bible study that the denomination considers acceptable. These beliefs and standards of Bible study are publicly available in voted documents. P H O T O S :

D AV I D

S H E R W I N

Geoffrey Mbwana

Lisa Beardsley-Hardy

GM: The document does not restrict the academic growth of a professor, but it clearly states what needs to be passed on to the student and how they can participate in academic growth.

the BMTE, and we register here at the international board what has happened at those levels. So, yes, endorsement is very close to where ministerial and theological education is actually happening.

Does this mean that all Seventh-day Adventist theological education around the globe—whether in Germany, Uganda, or Brazil—will look exactly the same? Is there space for cultural differences? LB-H: Yes. In fact, we have an expectation that adaptations will be made.. If people are working in a specific region, they need to understand and be responsive to the needs of ministry in that region. GM: This is an international board, but within the region, the divisions, there is the BMTE—a Board of Ministerial and Theological Education. By General Conference Working Policy, each division has a BMTE. They can give it another name, but with the same purposes. Those BMTEs then localize what comes from the international board, and they’re very much involved in the whole process of overseeing ministerial and theological education for their region. We have talked a lot in here about the faculty endorsement process. The process itself starts with each institution. That’s where much of the work is done, and then it’s communicated to

When you think about the future of Adventist theological education, maybe even broader Adventist education, what does church unity mean within that context? LB-H: That’s an important question. If you look at who the members of the IBMTE are, you can see that we work very hard to ensure broad representation by expertise, by level, by region, and by the broad areas of ministry. We don’t elect or appoint a king who then makes pronouncements. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has always done its work through committees. Theological unity can adapt to cultural diversity, but we are still seeking to work together. There may be tension between the individual convictions of an individual professor in a specific institution located somewhere in the world and the broader needs of the entire body. But Scripture counsels us to submit to one another in love. That’s what IBMTE aspires to do. It brings us all around the table focusing on how we can work together. It asks how can we maintain our identity and the vitality of our mission as we prepare

pastors for work in a diverse global society. It’s not always easy, and yes, we do have vigorous discussions. GM: As a global body, we have a mission to deliver. To that extent, we would like to remain together in principles that we agree issue forth from the Bible. We want to remain together in areas of Bible interpretation. We sought that out together. What is the most acceptable, based on our values? Once we agree on that, we seek commitment to that globally because of our identity and who we are. And yet we realize that the expression of these principles that we receive from the Bible may be valid in various contexts. But, again, in processes, in the way we arrive at interpretations, we would like to be together. LB-H: At the end of the whole twoyear process that involved meetings in different geographical locations, reflecting distinct Adventist realities, every member of the IBMTE Handbook Taskforce was given a gift—a wooden zebra. We said, “Let this remind you that the work of IBMTE is like a zebra. That is, education and ministry, education and ministry, education and ministry.” What makes the zebra beautiful is its alternating colors. What would a zebra be without its stripes? So if those of us in education and in ministry press together and work together, what we accomplish will be a thing of beauty. That’s what IBMTE seeks to do. n July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

W O R L D

V I S T A

During the business meetings of the General Conference Executive Board held each spring and fall, we always take time for special presentations on “Who Are We, and Why Are We Here?” Last April, Anne Woodworth spoke. This is a portion of her beautiful testimony. To hear the full testimony, go to executivecommittee.adventist. org/2017/04/11/17smarchive/. Her introduction begins at 1:50. —Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Additional articles and commentaries are available from the president’s office on Twitter: @pastortedwilson and on Facebook: @PastorTedWilson.

ur idea of connections is often tied to our social media presence on the Internet. But all too often these connections are very superficial. When it comes to the depth, the richness, of our relationships with others, it can be a real struggle to get it right. Jesus reminds us, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). So even Jesus felt it was important to make the right connections. We all have stories about when and how Jesus first connected with us, and we to Him. Here’s a little bit of mine. Ready to Die

In 1998, at age 33, I wanted to die. If I’d had a gun, I would’ve blown my head off. If I’d had pills, I would’ve taken them all and gone to sleep forever. But I didn’t. I went on vacation for the Fourth of July weekend [a national holiday in the United States], thinking that would rejuvenate me. My thoughts of suicide didn’t make sense. I’d achieved everything the world said would make me happy. I’d put myself through college and law school. I was a licensed attorney and a

G E R D

Making

A LT M A N N

By Anne Woodworth

Connections

Who are we? And why are we here?

member of the bar for the United States Supreme Court. I had a house and car, and a great job in Washington, D.C., as a legal journalist. I had a close circle of family and friends. I had a fiancé and two cats. Yet I felt hopeless. After all my hard work to achieve these goals, they didn’t leave me feeling happy and fulfilled; they didn’t fill the “hole in my soul.” On our way back from vacation with my fiancé, we were hit head-on by a car driven by a drunk driver. Our car flipped upside down in a ditch in front of a little church in Orange, Virginia. An ambulance rushed me to the hospital. That accident immediately put things into perspective; almost dying made me want to live. A Prayer and a Book

I believe the enemy was trying to kill me before I could connect to Jesus. But as Jesus often does, the Lord used those evil plans for His glorious pur-

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poses, to draw me closer toward Him and His saving grace. I knew I needed to connect to the Lord, and I needed the help of a church family to do so. But I had no idea which church to join, so I prayed a simple prayer: “God, please help me find a church family so I can connect to You.” I spent weeks in bed recovering. One day my fiancé brought home a book he found on top of a pile of trash as his team cleaned out a 100-year-old house to be remodeled. He said he was impressed to bring it to me, even though he knew nothing about it, nor did he even like to read. But he knew I did. The book was America in Prophecy (The Great Controversy), by Ellen G. White, with a 1970s trademark. The book truly astonished me! It logically and beautifully laid out the history of the restoration of biblical truths that had been lost over time. God showed me two biblical stan-

dards by which I could test a new church: the state of the dead and the seventh-day Sabbath. I knew that the Seventh-day Adventist Church was Christian, but met on the Sabbath. In my search for a church family, I turned to another helpful book, the yellow pages. I quickly found an Adventist church located five minutes from my house, and made plans to attend the following Saturday. Connecting to the Church

When I walked into the church, the tiniest woman I ever met greeted me with a hug and a warm welcome. I sat in the back and listened to some favorite hymns. Then a visiting preacher talked about casting our burdens on the Lord. I wept silently while several members turned around, looking at me curiously. After the service, I dashed down a hallway, embarrassed about crying, and ended up in a coat closet. Another sweet woman followed me in and just let me cry. As I calmed down, she invited me to eat lunch with some other members. As I told my story of how I decided to attend that church, I described this book. Several people chuckled and said, “Yes, we know that book well. It was written more than 150 years ago by a woman without even a basic formal education. She was one of the founders of this church, and, we believe, a modern-day prophet.” I was completely flabbergasted by the connection between that book and the Adventist Church. I thought some biblical scholar from Harvard or a top divinity school had written it in the 1970s. That night an evangelism series on the truth about the Sabbath, a topic about which I really wanted to learn more, was starting. That led me to yet another helpful book: the Bible.

Connecting to Jesus and a Career

derful journey for the past 20 years, and I wouldn’t change that for anything.

As I read the Bible and Ellen White’s inspired writings to illuminate its truth, I began connecting to Jesus and the church family. I gave my heart to Jesus early on. In 1999, after a year of spiritual growth, I was baptized. I attended the General Conference session in Toronto and felt connected to the world church for the first time. I thrilled at the diversity, the joy and enthusiasm, the love for Jesus, exhibited by the members. I made some important connections there, including with several ADRA staff. Over the course of a year I talked with ADRA leaders to see whether I might find a role to help some of God’s most vulnerable and marginalized people. The week I joined the agency in 2002, ADRA sent me on a trip with a colleague to “learn the ropes.” I was strapped down in the cargo section of an overloaded UNICEF plane. We were headed to southern Sudan during a civil war. Bombing was rampant. I was responsible for meeting with U.S. agency and interim government representatives and 10 partner organizations to design a project and compete for a US$50 million basic education grant across southern Sudan—all this in a war zone. I lived for a week in a mud hut with a grass roof, no running water, a pit latrine, and very little food. But that experience helped me connect to people in ways that continue to inspire me and inform my work today. Thus began my career as a fundraiser and program designer. I have been doing that for various organizations on increasingly high-profile and ever larger platforms. Although God has led me to “new pastures” in my work, I’ve stayed connected to my ADRA colleagues. More important, my life with Jesus has been a wild and won-

New Connections

What are some ways to make new connections? As a church, we should be more creative in accessing the venues where we’ll most likely meet people who are hungry for “something.” All too often we get caught up in our own little world of family and friends. But that isn’t enough to truly reap the harvest of souls just waiting for us. It’s often the painful events in people’s lives that draw them to Christ for help and healing: a car wreck, divorce, death of a loved one, chronic illness, loss of a job, alienation from family, domestic violence, sexual abuse, loneliness. The church must be ready to help people connect to Jesus at critical junctures in their lives. That is who we are; that is why we’re here. We must train and equip members, but most important, inspire and motivate them to share their stories of how Jesus is working in and around them. Holding Jesus up and showing how He is a real presence in our own lives is the only way to get people interested in connecting with Jesus for themselves. I pray that we can disconnect from anything that doesn’t help us, and in turn establish deeper connections with the Lord and others. One day soon when Jesus comes we can engage for all eternity telling our stories of His love, mercy, grace, and power in our lives. Then we’ll truly be connected with Him, and each other, in ways we cannot even begin to imagine. n

Anne Woodworth works

as a fund-raiser for a nonprofit organization to help the most marginalized people in poverty-ridden countries.

July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

N A D Y O U T H

M I N I S T R I E S

NAD NEWS

Members of the Miami Central Spanish Pathfinder Club celebrate their first-place finish at the 2017 Pathfinder Bible Experience.

Bible Knowledge Tested at

Pathfinder

Bible Experience

e are incredibly excited and amazed with how God led hundreds of young people deep into the Bible,” says Armando Miranda, associate director of the North American Division (NAD) Youth Ministries Department and NAD Pathfinder Club director, about the 20162017 Pathfinder Bible Experience (PBE) season. “It’s fulfilling to see Pathfinders from all over North America, and even England, come together because of the Bible.” The season’s studies on the New Testament books of Paul culminated on April 22, 2017, as more than 500 Pathfinders from 79 teams met in

Chicago for the sixth annual NAD Division testing event. “We want [Pathfinders] to memorize and know God’s Word,” Miranda says. “Entire families are involved and committed to this. We had nearly 2,000 people, and more than half of them were family members and supporters of the Pathfinders.” Of the teams that participated in the NAD event, 53 scored 90 percent or higher, earning first place; 25 scored 80-89 percent for second place. One team achieved a perfect score upon completion of the questionand-answer period. The PBE is the official North American Division Pathfinder Bible

Adventist World - nad | July 2017

study program, still known in some circles as the Bible Bowl. Each year teams of six club members study a book of the Bible, or several as in this season’s assignment, memorizing large portions of God’s Word. This season began with approximately 10,000 Pathfinders participating in the PBE testing at initial area levels. In April, after months of study and local testing, teams from across the division who advanced through the other levels of competition—area, conference, and union conference— participated in the final level of testing. The Pathfinders were quizzed over the assigned study books, as well as the introduction of each book found in The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary. Sixth grader Daniella Spence, from a Beltsville, Maryland, team, says, “PBE was interesting and fun. Meeting to study and eat with friends was the best part. Learning God’s Word made me understand more about God. I’m looking forward to next year.” “We are continuing to develop ways to connect the Pathfinder Bible Experience with the broader church life, Bible study, revival, reformation, and repentance,” says Gene Clapp, the NAD Pathfinder Bible Experience coordinator. “The PBE program is changing lives. Not only are the Pathfinders and parents reading and memorizing the Bible—they are also learning the application. Both young and older lives are being transformed because of spending time with God.” The 2017-2018 testing season for PBE will be over the Bible books of Daniel and Esther. —Kimberly Luste Maran, NAD Office of Communication. Visit vimeo. com/217082898 to watch a video report.

La Voz de la Esperanza Celebrates 75 Years ■■ For 75 years La Voz de la Esperanza has been proclaiming the gospel. The ministry is celebrating this milestone with evangelistic campaigns and tours, baptisms, graduations, and seminars. In March the ministry coordinated 50 simultaneous evangelistic campaigns in Cuba. An evangelistic tour that visited 17 cities, graduated 22,000 students from its Bible courses, and baptized 2,200 people. The rest of the year will see celebrations of gratitude to God throughout North America, concluding with an anniversary event at the Loma Linda University Church on September 9. Visit LaVoz.org for dates and locations of special events. —Angel Rodríguez Medina, La Voz de la Esperanza

Now in its seventy-fifth year, La Voz de la Esperanza is led by speaker/director Omar Grieve and associate speaker/director Nessy Pittau Grieve. L A

V O Z

D E

L A

E S P E R A N Z A

Innovative Partnership Makes Creation Textbook Available for Free ■■ Students, teachers, and general readers anywhere in the world, eager for access to the acclaimed go-to textbook on the latest in creation science studies, can now get it for free in digital format, thanks to a unique partnership among three Adventist entities. The book, released in its third edition by Andrews University Press, is Faith, Reason, and Earth History: A Paradigm of Earth and Biological Origin by Intelligent Design, authored by Leonard Brand of Loma Linda University and Arthur Chadwick of Southwestern Adventist University. The free e-book release was announced at the spring meeting of the General Conference Faith and Science Council, held in Loma Linda, California, April 19-20, 2017. By May 15 the book had been downloaded 7,500 times. The publishing initiative was made possible by cooperation among the council, the North American Division Adventist Learning Community, and Andrews University Press. Faith, Reason, and Earth History, by Brand, was originally published by the Andrews University Press in 1997. A second edition appeared in 2009. This third edition, coauthored by Brand and Chadwick, was made possible by funding from the Faith and Science Council. The initiative for the unorthodox publishing arrangement for free e-book distribution came from staff at the North American Division’s Adventist Learning Community (ALC), a Web-based educational platform. When ALC director Adam Fenner learned that the council was wrestling

with how to get the Brand/Chadwick book the widest distribution possible, he asked simply, “Why don’t we just make it free?” That plan relied on funding from the council. It also meant that Fenner and his team had to establish an easy interface for the digital download on the ALC Web site, and getting it available for free from major online retailers. “This really is a bold venture to accomplish mission,” said Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, Education Department director at the General Conference. “This is the first time, to my knowledge, that any major academic book like this has been distributed by Adventists in this way.” The digital (epub) edition is available now at www.adventistlearning community.com/faith-reason-earthhistory. A print edition is available from Amazon.com, Adventist Book Centers, and Andrews University Press at UniversityPress.Andrews.edu. —Andrews University Continued on next page

July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

NAD NEWS Adventist Fights Human Trafficking, Helps Organize Conference

benefit women in Africa. With featured speakers and breakout sessions, much information was shared and digested. A deputy from the police system in Denver, working with the FBI, spoke about Operation Cross Country IX, started in 2012 and conducted in Colorado and Wyoming. In Denver, 20 underage victims were recovered, according to FBI officials. “Today’s Christians have to realize the need for justice in the world, and that it is something God calls us to do,” says McTavish. “Our congregations really need to talk about these things. A lot of poverty as well as human trafficking is based on messedup justice systems and corrupt governments. People can’t get out of poverty nor out of human trafficking without help.” —Carol Bolden, Rocky Mountain Conference

S H I F T

F A C E B O O K

■■ Katie McTavish abhors human trafficking, and her faith fortifies her resolve to fight it. That’s the story of the 19-year-old from Newday Christian Church of Seventh-day Adventists in Parker, Colorado. On March 11, 2017, McTavish joined 300 other activists at SHIFT Justice Conference 2017 in Denver. She was one of the organizers. Begun by six students and a teacher at Valor Christian High School last year, the youth chose the name SHIFT, realizing it takes a shift in thinking to actually do something about an issue after hearing about it. As many as 60 volunteers from several high schools in the Denver area organized the March 11 confer-

ence to educate, empower, and motivate people to get involved. The lineup of speakers for the SHIFT Conference reads like a list of Who’s Who in the fight against human trafficking. They came from Dalit Freedom Network, Hope Academy, and A-21. They arrived from Free Indeed, Girl Above, TALL Truth, and JOY International, at least 70 groups altogether. Although human trafficking is thought to happen in developing countries, it has become a problem in the United States and other developed countries. Denver has become a human trafficking hub. The conference, held at Valor Christian High School, provided attendees with a goody bag of information flyers, along with a SHIFT bracelet and water bottle. As many as 20 vendors set up booths where they sold such things as bracelets to

Student volunteers prepare for the SHIFT conference by filling goody bags.

July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

N A D U P D AT E

Adventist Becomes

First Black Female Accepted

Into Neurosurgery Residency Program By Kimberly Luste Maran, Communication Office, North American Division

A B U - B O N S R A H / F A C E B O O K

n March 17, 2017, shortly after 26-year-old Nancy AbuBonsrah, originally from the Ashanti Region in Ghana, received the news that she had been accepted into the residency program at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Neurosurgical Department, she

posted this on Facebook: “What a way to begin the Sabbath! I still haven’t processed it yet, but this is such an honor and a privilege to join the department at Hopkins to begin this next phase of my career.” Abu-Bonsrah, a Seventh-day Adventist, is the first Black female neurosurgical resident to have been accepted into the Johns Hopkins’ program in its history, which spans more than 100 years. According to a report from the Cable News Network, the prestigious program, ranked second in the country, accepts just two to five residents. Ben Carson, now United States secretary of Housing and Urban Development, is one of the program’s most notable alumni.

N A N C Y

Match Day

Nancy Abu-Bonsrah celebrates her residency match with Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s neurosurgical department with her husband, Kwabena Yamoah, a third-year medical student at the University of Maryland.

The daughter of Seth and Georgina Abu-Bonsrah, Nancy moved with her family to the United States at 15 years old when her father accepted an InterDivision Employee (IDE) call to work with ADRA as an assistant director for monitoring and evaluation at the General Conference (Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters) in Silver Spring. Living in Maryland for the past 11 years, Abu-Bonsrah attended Hammond High School and Mount St. Mary’s University, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree

Adventist World - nad | July 2017

in biochemistry and chemistry before joining the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine program in 2012 to pursue a Doctor of Medicine. Graduating medical students decide on specialties when they apply for residency. Abu-Bonsrah chose neurosurgery. “I am fortunate to have been born in a God-fearing household, one in which we were encouraged to seek the guidance of God in all that we do,” said Abu-Bonsrah in an e-mail interview. “I deeply believe that without God paving the way for me and serving as a lamp unto my feet, I would not have made it thus far. “My family, my husband, and my church family, the Washington Ghanaian Seventh-day Adventist Church, have likewise been incredibly supportive. They have indeed been the wind beneath my wings, and their prayers have continued to sustain me. The Lord has blessed my hard work, and I am eternally grateful for His bounty. I hope that I will likewise be a blessing to everyone I come into contact with.” Abu-Bonsrah found out she was slated to begin residency training this summer at Johns Hopkins on March 17, known as “Match Day.” On the third Friday of March each year, fourth-year students at medical schools across the U.S. discover where they’ll be continuing their professional medical journey. Students receive an envelope that reveals where they will begin training. The opening of the letter at a set time has been considered a rite of passage since the 1950s for physicians in training. “I will be matching into neurosurgery, a field that I am greatly enamored with, and hope to utilize those skills in advancing global surgical care,” said Abu-Bonsrah, who is married to Kwabena Yamoah, a

third-year medical student at the University of Maryland. The young doctor will continue her medical training in a seven-year residency program while at the hospital. In a March 24 Facebook post she wrote, “It is truly humbling to be a part of such a legacy and to have so many inspired by our story. We are excited for the journey ahead and ask for continued prayers.” Early Interest

The interest in becoming a physician started early for Abu-Bonsrah. In Ghana, where she completed her middle school education, students were generally encouraged to study certain subjects based on their aptitude once they entered high school. For Abu-

Bonsrah, that was the sciences, with the intention of eventually pursuing medicine. “I seized on the advice of my academic mentors and also felt that I would be able to contribute positively to my community by being a physician,” said Abu-Bonsrah, whose desire to pursue neurosurgery was borne out of shadowing experiences in Ghana during her junior year winter break from Mount St. Mary’s University. “I had an opportunity to spend some time in the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. It was there that I experienced the uniqueness of neurosurgery as well as the general lack of access to care,” explained Abu-Bonsrah. “Not only was I impressed by the surgical skill and fascinated by the anatomy, I was also stunned by how

overwhelmed the surgeons were. Ultimately, I felt that this field would help me marry a love for the field with a desire to serve. I cannot wait to go back and serve, not only in Ghana, but in other low-resource settings.” Abu-Bonsrah, who has been involved in mentoring through her work at Johns Hopkins, is already an inspiration to some. Young adult Adaeze Okorie posted this comment on Facebook on March 26: “Congratulations, Nancy, on all your hard work paying off! You inspire young African American girls like me to continue on my premed track despite the setbacks we may face, because someday we can get to where you are. You’re truly an inspiration, and I pray for many more successes in your life. God bless!” n

Read it like you never have before! Ellen G. White’s

STEPS TO CHRIST

Annotated Anniversary Edition with Historical Introduction and Notes

Look for it at Camp Meeting

• Extensive historical and theological introduction, annotations, scriptural references, and appendix • Edited by Denis Fortin, Ph.D., former dean, Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, and co-editor of The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia • The most beautiful edition ever published

ADVENTIST BOOK CENTER 1-800-765-6955 July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

From Him flowed a stream of healing power, and the sick were made whole. —Ellen G. White

NAD Letters Important Quotes

Perhaps the first two letter writers who responded to Ted N. C. Wilson’s March 2017 article “Day of Rest and Gladness” (May 2017 NAD edition) have not seen this quotation: “The Sabbath was Christ’s busiest day for healing the sick. On this day He could best reach those who were laboring during the week. Wherever He went, He was a medical missionary, an unerring physician, speaking words of comfort and love! From Him flowed a stream of healing power, and the sick were made whole. He healed men and women and with unhesitating willingness and with hearty joyfulness; for He was glad to be able to restore suffering ones to health” (Ellen G. White letter 168, 1902). It may be that we have not yet found the ideal balance for the Sabbath that Ellen White outlined when she wrote: “The law forbids secular labor on the rest day of the Lord; the toil that gains a livelihood must cease; no labor for worldly pleasure or profit is lawful upon that day; but as God ceased his labor of creating, and rested upon the Sabbath and blessed it, so man is to leave the occupations of his daily life, and devote those sacred hours to healthful rest, to worship, and to holy deeds. The work of Christ in healing the sick was in perfect accord with the law. It honored the Sabbath” (The Desire of Ages, p. 207). Todd Guthrie Mount Shasta, California

Keeping Children Healthy

Making Friends

Thanks for the article “Keeping Children Healthy” (May 2017). I was disappointed, however, that the authors did not highlight the importance of immunizations. So many parents are misled and afraid of immunizations that have saved millions of lives. Vaccinations are cited as the greatest public health achievement in the past century, according to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (48 [1999]: 241-243). (Incidentally, recognizing tobacco use as a health hazard was number 10.) Please help inform our church family that immunizations are safe, and a vital part in making our global community healthy. Dorothy Chinnock Paradise, California

Thank you for the article “Turning Strangers Into Friends” (April 2017). I can’t think of a more timely article. I appreciated the practical suggestions for dealing with people from other cultures, in this case Muslims. It takes some of the mystery out of dealing with people who aren’t like us. Personally, I’m distressed to see the recent rise in bigotry and outright hostility against people who have immigrated to the United States; and to realize that much of it comes from people who claim to be evangelical Christians. One more thing: I know that many faith groups here in the United States and Canada have taken steps to sponsor immigrants by not only helping them find homes, but also providing them with employment opportunities. Perhaps Adventist World would consider featuring an article about that. Thank you again for identifying such a vital, contemporary issue. J. J. Aragon Chicago, Illinois

Kids’ Stuff

I was impressed with the emphasis on children in the May 2017 Adventist World. I had a similar experience as the frightened boy in “The Headless Ghost.” I was 12 or 13 on a country road. It was dusk on a summer day. I rode my bicycle toward mysterious lights in a circle. Was it a UFO? I was kind of scared. But when I got up to it, I laughed at myself. It was the back of a gas delivery truck. Joseph Cobb via e-mail

Adventist World - nad | July 2017

By Peter N. Landless and Zeno L. Charles-Marcel

W O R L D

H E A L T H

Juicing Is it worth it?

I am a new Adventist trying to be a good steward of my health. A friend has been giving me health tips and insists that I start juicing and using more raw foods. I already enjoy a plant-based, whole-foods diet (amazingly!), and eat salads, beans, vegetables and fruits, and some raw seeds and nuts daily. So why should I be juicing?

ore than 6 million people died worldwide in 2010 because they didn’t eat enough fruits and vegetables,* so your balanced, nutritionally appropriate, plant-based diet is good. Fruit-andvegetable consumption varies among and within countries, often reflecting economic, cultural, and agricultural realities, but it remains low in many parts of the world. Juicing is one way for people to add more or new vegetables and fruit to their diet. Under usual circumstances, juicing provides no additional health benefits to chewing well what you would have used to make the juice, and it is often more expensive. Juice contains most of the vitamins, minerals, and energy-providing and plant-derived (phyto) nutrients, but less overall nutrition than the whole fruits or vegetables from which it is extracted. This is because all the liquid (with its dissolved nutrients) is not extracted, and healthy fiber may be lost to the final product. Juiced nutrients are usually more available for absorption than that of the original food, but the benefit depends on the situation. Scientific studies comparing fruit with commercially available fruit juice favor whole fruits. The act of chewing itself is healthful and is encouraged. Liquefying foods is appropriate in conditions that limit a person’s ability to bite, chew, swallow, or digest vegetables and fruits naturally. In condi-

tions that benefit from higher-thanusual phytonutrient intake, liquefying—especially juicing—facilitates this. Whole or liquefied raw vegetables and fruits may benefit the gut bacteria and thus the body’s immune and metabolic (i.e., the body’s nutrient processing and energy-handling) systems. When liquefying food is the issue, blending the food should be also considered. Blending is a method of whole-food liquefaction that preserves the natural fiber in the final product. In one Korean study, blended apple, pear, persimmon, and mandarin orange retained greater antioxidant properties and beneficial compounds than juicing the fleshy parts. Fiber regulates intestinal absorption, so people with metabolic syndrome, prediabetes, and diabetes mellitus typically do better eating their calories than drinking them, and are less likely to overfeed. Blending produces heat, and may destroy some heat-sensitive nutrients while improving the absorption of others. For example, lycopene, a health-promoting phytonutrient in tomatoes, comes in two slightly different structural forms, and heat favors the one that is better absorbed. Many individuals have benefited from short-duration “juice fasting.” When compared with calorie-reduced, standard Western diets, green-juice “fasting” is associated with better short-term weight management and

fat loss—especially fat around and within the internal organs. In a small University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) study in the United States, a three-day juice fast resulted in positive metabolic effects that lasted two weeks. Simulating water-only fasting with juices, etc., is associated with improved metabolic profiles in human studies. In scientific studies, often the comparison is not between juices and the eating of fruits and vegetables, so currently there is no clear scientific evidence that extracted juices are necessary for health, or that they are clearly healthier than eating the vegetables or fruits themselves under normal circumstances. So, to people all around the globe—even in North America, where 80 percent of people eat inadequate amounts of vegetables and fruits—I say, first eat enough veggies and fruits. Eat them in the “packaging” God has provided, and cook the vegetables, grains, and legumes as needed. Anything beyond that is optional. n * World Health Organization, September 2014, www.who.int/ elena/titles/bbc/fruit_vegetables_ncds/en/.

Peter N. Landless, a board-certified nuclear cardiologist, is director of Adventist Health Ministries at the General Conference.

Zeno L. Charles-Marcel, a board-certified

internist, is an associate director of Adventist Health Ministries at the General Conference.

July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

NAD PERSPECTIVE

Summer Camp

By Tracy Wood

Evangelism: A Fresh Perspective

inging and telling stories about Jesus and His love around a campfire: this is summer camp evangelism. Every day of the week, all summer long, young adult camp staff show campers how Jesus wants to share heaven with us all. This, too, is summer camp evangelism: thousands of young adults showing and telling their story of Jesus and His love to tens of thousands of young people throughout North America and beyond. Last summer more than 2,250 youth and young adults were hired by 46 camp directors throughout the North American Division (NAD) to share Jesus with campers. Predominantly college students, they dedicated their summer to be used by God to lead youth and their parents to Jesus. Many of these young adults come back year after year for summer camp evangelism. Bill Wood, NAD camp ministries coordinator, says, “Research has shown that more than 60 percent of our summer camp staff go on to become denominational employees and work for the church in some capacity.” This is a result of the evangelistic training and spiritual mentoring by youth directors, camp managers, and full-time camp staff. For generations camp ministry has been one of the most effective hands-on leadership development processes for raising up the next generation of church leaders. Last summer, between conferences, union conferences, and Adventist universities, more than $7 million was invested in hiring these 2,250 amazing young people to share

their love for Jesus. Throughout the NAD during the past summer more than 19,800 young people came to camp to have the time of their life in a safe place of loving care. Most of these campers were Adventist children; however, many of them brought their unchurched cousins, neighbors, and friends. And summer camp isn’t just for young people. More than 7,200 family campers experienced camp last summer. That’s parents and grandparents bringing their families to camp because they believe that camp is the best place for a family vacation with Jesus. With 27,000 people experiencing the love of Jesus through Adventist young adults every day of the summer, it’s like evangelism on steroids. Summer Days With Jesus

Imagine waking up each morning in a safe place with a cabinful of friends in anticipation of an exciting day, and your counselor praying for God’s closeness and protection with you as you head outdoors. Imagine eating a delicious camp breakfast on picnic tables with new friends. Imagine running for morning activities of archery, crafting a treasure, making a video, building a masterpiece, petting a wild animal, exploring a nature center, or . . . Imagine pausing to pray for lunch, and giving thanks to Jesus for the amazing morning with friends. Imagine afternoon excursions riding horses through the woods, canoeing on the lake, BMXing around

camp, wakeboarding behind a ski boat, ziplining above the trees, or . . . Dinner is served after another prayer of gratitude. Then it happens: a Bible story enacted at the campfire bowl by young adults showing the love of Jesus. During the closing songs you sense the presence of the Holy Spirit inspiring you to give yourself to Jesus. Imagine the walk back to the cabin and the goodnight tuck-ins by your counselor. Then the questions: Is Jesus real? Does He really love me? Can He help me? Do I matter to Him? By the end of the week, when appeals are made at campfire to choose Jesus forever, young adult staff have the sacred privilege of affirming young people in their commitment to Christ. These moments often last a lifetime. Hearts and Lives

Of those who experienced Jesus’ love last summer at camp, 8,325 of them made a commitment to follow Jesus or be baptized. Some were firsttime commitments and some were recommitments, but all were giving their hearts and lives to Jesus forever. What about this summer? Will you make sure the young people in your life have an opportunity to experience Jesus at summer camp? Will you be proactive in supporting young adults who have committed their summer to sharing Jesus with others? Will you be at one of the 67 Adventist summer camps? Find your camp at www.Adventist Camps.org; National Camps for the Blind: www.ChristianRecord.org. n

Tracy Wood is an

associate director of youth ministries of the North American Division.

July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

C O V E R F E AT U R E

P P

God’s ast Is Our resent By Markus Kutzschbach

Rediscovering the power of stories all around the world

grew up a nominal Adventist. I knew little about God and His end-time movement. The I read a book that changed my life. The Great Controversy chronicled the lives of men and women who loved Jesus above all and trusted completely in His power. These people lived out their faith, and God changed the world through their witness. After reading about the Protestant Reformers, I read the chapters about William Miller and the great Advent awakening, about how God used these people to fulfill biblical prophecies. Despite their disappointments and challenges, they kept on moving forward—in faith. I was fascinated. The next book I read was Grandma Ellen and Me. This children’s book touched my heart. The more I read, the more passionate I felt about the history of this movement. I longed for

the same love and faith in Jesus. I started to study my Bible and ended up with a Bachelor of Theology degree from Bogenhofen Seminary in Austria. Visiting historic Adventist sites in North America made this history come alive. The Power of Stories

Stories are powerful. Stories of these early Adventists remind me that God can do anything if we are willing to follow. They faced challenges similar to ours. They needed encouragement as we do. Their stories remind us that God never changes and always comes through—in His time. That’s one of the reasons Scripture is full of stories. We all love to hear stories. We learn from stories. In fact, stories are some of the best ways of sharing God’s marvelous plan of salvation. When I read stories about

Adventist World - nad | July 2017

God’s faithful people from the Bible or the early period of the Advent movement to my own children, they share these stories with their friends and our neighbors. They all listen, because stories are compelling. God is aware of the power of stories. In Joshua 4 God instructed Israel to build a memorial out of 12 stones from the other side of the Jordan. As future generations saw this pile they would ask, “What do these stones mean to you?” (verse 6). Every time this question was asked, it offered a golden opportunity to share a testimony of God’s care, grace, and power. The Adventist Story

We too are invited to share the story of God’s leading of this movement. Children are not born knowing where they came from, why they are here, and where they are going. They

AFRICA need to hear these stories, for our history is an important part of who we are. We are called to share the stories of God’s leading, especially with our children—even though my own story illustrates that adults, too, are drawn by stories. The mission of Adventist Heritage Ministry is to build bridges across time. It offers a unique educational and evangelistic way of reaching out to people who may not come to an evangelistic series. In preserving some historic places where God’s end-time movement started, His story is being shared in an authentic, original environment. Adventist visitors to these sites will experience spiritual renewal. The thousands of non-Adventist visitors who come to our heritage sites in North America every year, while interested in local or regional history, learn about eternal history as well. It’s amazing to witness how the experience of a site visit renews faith and commitment to Jesus and His endtime mission, and how non-Adventists, being deeply impressed, start to think differently. Adventist history, however, is not only focused on North America. Since 1874, when J. N. Andrews became the first official overseas missionary, Adventist history has been written all around the world. Thousands of churches, hospitals, schools, publishing houses, and many other initiatives tell their own stories. Some are stories of sacrifice, pain and loss. Others tell about miracles and challenges overcome. All are memorials to the God who is passionately in love with this world. We need to remember and protect these stories, not because they glorify the past. We need to remember that they are God’s past—and our present. n

Markus Kutzschbach is the executive director of Adventist Heritage Ministries.

By Michael Sokupa

From South to North Africa’s important place in Adventism was marked by humble beginnings.

he gospel was brought to Africa by early missionaries who navigated between colonial powers, local leaders, and often competing missionary societies. This short article will highlight three sites of first entry by Seventh-day Adventists in Southern Africa, East Africa, and West Africa. We hope that stories about these sites will inspire both current and future generations to remain faithful to the gospel commission.

E L L E N

G .

W H I T E

R E S E A R C H

C E N T E R ,

H E L D E R B E R G

C O L L E G E

The Beaconsfield church, in the diamond city of Kimberly, was the first organized Seventh-day Adventist church in South Africa. Kimberly is an inland city central between three major metropolitan cities of South Africa. The church was built in 1889. The structure and the facade of the building are protected by South African law as a heritage site. Kimberly is no longer a diamond mining city, but it still maintains its historical prestige. What used to be a hub of Adventism is now a relatively small community. Several Seventh-day Adventist churches are situated in Kimberly. The original church building is fully under Seventh-day Adventist care, even though the building is no longer used for worship services. Original furniture and other artifacts are exhibited to give visitors a glimpse of early Adventism in South Africa.

July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

C O V E R F E AT U R E

ASIA AFRICA

C O N T I N U E D

J O H N

M O I B A

Right: Though the gospel reached Pare in Tanzania in 1903, the work of spreading the gospel at Gendia, Kenya, progressed more rapidly. The work started at Ogango. Missionaries traveled from Mombasa, through Nairobi, and finally reached Kisumu, a trip that spanned from coast to coast. Since 1906 Kendu Bay has maintained its reputation as a hub of Adventism in Kisumu. A new church sits on Gendia Hill, after the original mud-brick church was demolished. Conference offices (including also a heritage room), a hospital, a school, and a publishing house are also located on the property.

Michael Sokupa, originally

from South Africa, serves as associate director of the Ellen G. White Estate in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.

Adventist World - nad | July 2017

Left: The Adventist message reached Apam, now Ghana, in 1888. Attempts to build a mission center were frustrated by illness and death of several missionary family members. In August 1905, with the arrival of David C. Babcock, the mission headquarters for West Africa was transferred to Sierra Leone. Babcock initiated a concrete block-making project in this country. The blocks were used to erect the first Adventist church building in West Africa. Today, sitting on the same site on Circular Road in Freetown, Sierra Leone, the Three Angels Seventhday Adventist Church reminds us of that history. Top: ABRAM LA RUE GRAVE: The earliest self-supporting missionary was Abram La Rue (1822-1903). Church leaders were hesitant to send him, but he raised his own funds so that he could do missionary work in the British port of Hong Kong. He shared his faith with sailors, and arranged so that early tracts could be translated into Mandarin. His grave is located at Happy Valley, in the Hong Kong Cemetery, section 2.

Michael W. Campbell

is an associate professor of historical and theological studies at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies in Silang, Philippines.

What God Has Wrought

As a

By Michael W. Campbell

arly Seventh-day Adventist missions in Asia followed a deliberate missiological pattern: self-supporting missionaries arrived first, who were followed by officially sent missionaries and the establishment of health, medical, and publishing institutions. Christianity is an ancient religion in China, so early Adventist missionaries were inspired by discoveries of the Nestorian Stele (located in the Xi’an Forest of Stone Steles museum) that confirmed that at least by the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-907) there was an intentional effort to share the message of Jesus Christ that may have begun as early as the apostle Thomas. As Adventist missionaries established a foothold in China, the Adventist message quickly went to other countries.

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Middle: The “first family” of Adventist Chinese missions was Jacob Nelson Anderson and his wife, Emma Anderson-Thompson. They went with their 4-yearold son, Stanley, and Ida Thompson. They worked with individuals such as Eric Pilquist to baptize early members and establish the first church. Today, on the vacation island of Xiamen (near the hill top) one can see the Mei Hua Life Health Center, located in the original Gulangyu Mei Hua School, which was built by Benjamin and Julia Anderson (who arrived in 1904, when Benjamin joined his older brother). Center: Adventist missions quickly spread to other countries. Abram La Rue sent Adventist literature on boats to Manila and other cities. On March 11, 1911, the first Seventh-day Adventist Church was established in the Philippines. It remains an active congregation. It was organized with 12 converts, including six recent converts, and two of the earliest missionary families (the Finsters and Caldwells).

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AUSTRALIA

By John Skrzypaszek

A Living

Heritage The Australian story

he significance of the heritage sites moves beyond the boundaries of tangible and aesthetic values, because the worth is immersed in the inspirational narratives of the living heritageâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;namely, the accounts of lives once lived. Their stories epitomize faith, visionary drive, convictions, commitments, a determinationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which in turn raised visible vestiges, monuments in the gallery of time. The memory of such a living heritage is significant, for it inspires passion and vision not only to re-create and replicate the past but to create and nurture a new essence of a living heritage relevant to its time and place. The beginnings of the Seventh-day Adventist narratives in Australia connect with the story of such a living heritage: a view of the mission given to Ellen White in 1874 in a vision of global outreach that included Australia and the islands of the sea. Although few, the heritage sites in Australia display a spiritual depth, passion, and drive of the living legacy, a thriving memory of people who began to shape the Australian Adventist story from 1885. *â&#x20AC;&#x2030;Ellen G. White letter 149, 1897.

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C O V E R F E AT U R E

Left: Ellen White’s home from 1896 to 1900— Sunnyside—is the most prominent heritage site in Australia. It is well preserved, and it links Ellen White’s contribution to the establishment of Avondale College of Higher Education and her significant literary contribution. Every year Sunnyside attracts more than 2,000 visitors from all over Australia and other countries.

Right: The foundation stone for Bethel Hall was laid on October 1, 1896, by Ellen G. White, and was the first official building of what is now Avondale College of Higher Education. The school opened in 1897. Ellen White’s organizational drive helped the school to open on the designated date of April 28. She wrote, “There must not be one day’s postponement. . . . If there is but one student present, we will begin the school at the appointment time.”* Today Bethel Hall accommodates Avondale College’s administrative offices.

Bottom: The Collinsvale Church in Tasmania (known as Bismarck before the First World War) was organized in 1889 as a result of the pioneering work by two Hobart church leaders. It was the first Seventh-day Adventist church building in Australia. During her visit to Tasmania in 1895, Ellen G. White preached in this historic church. It is situated in picturesque surroundings and still opens for Sabbath worship.

John Skrzypaszek is director of the Ellen

G. White Research Centre on the campus of Avondale College of Higher Education in Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia.

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EUROPE

By René Frauchiger and Chantal J. Klingbeil

Humble

Beginnings

The story of a small chapel that impacted the world

K L I N G B E I L

René Frauchiger is a retired businessman

living in Switzerland and a descendant of one of the first European Seventh-day Adventist pastors. Chantal J. Klingbeil serves as an associate director of the Ellen G. White Estate.

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K L I N G B E I L

Below: The Roth family financed the 3,300 Swiss francs needed to build the small church in their garden. Many of the first Seventhday Adventists had joined the church through the work of Michael Belina Czechowski, who first brought the Seventh-day Adventist message to Europe as an independent missionary.

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A .

Top: The original furnishings, surrounded by pictures of the pioneers, adorn the 60-squaremeter (645-square-foot) interior of this cradle of European Adventism.

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Left: A MEMORIAL TO MISSION: Although consecrated as a church, the Tramelan chapel was never owned by the Adventist Church. The Roth family left Tramelan many years later and sold the building to a family of another faith. In 2014 the chapel was bought by the InterEuropean Division, and plans are under way to restore this important memorial and inspire a new generation to take the Advent message into all the world.

G E R A L D

G E N E R A L

n Friday, December 24, 1886, a horse-drawn sleigh headed to the station in the little town of Tramelan, Switzerland. This was going to be a Christmas to remember. One of the guests was a gray-haired American woman, Ellen White. Ellen White had been living in Basel, Switzerland. She had visited Tramelan before to encourage the band of believers, but this visit would be extra-special. In the back garden of the Roth family home a little wooden chapel now stood completed and ready for service, the first Seventh-day Adventist church outside North America. Ellen White had arrived to preach the dedication sermon on Sabbath, December 25. In her sermon Ellen White compared the small wooden chapel to Solomon’s Temple. “We hope that the Lord will so bless your work that this house will prove too small for you,” she said. The little chapel eventually became too small. But almost from its beginning it extended an influence way beyond Tramelan, with many of its members becoming missionaries both in Europe and throughout the world.

C O V E R F E AT U R E

SOUTH AMERICA

By Renato Stencel

From Neglected Continent to

Land of Hope

The South American story

he heritage of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South America is effectively depicted in two sites: the first Adventist church organized on the continent in Crespo, Argentina; and the second organized church in Gaspar Alto, Brazil. Almost a half century after its establishment, the Seventh-day Adventist Church turned its attention to the South American continent with the organization of the Foreign Mission Board on January 3, 1890.* Three self-supporting literature evangelists— Elwin W. Snyder, Clair A. Nowlen, and Albert B. Stauffer—were the first workers to arrive. They landed in Montevideo (Uruguay) on December 10, 1891, and began their colporteur ministry in Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. On August 18, 1894, the first ordained minister, Frank H. Westphal, arrived and founded the organizational structure of the church on the continent. South America was the last continent of the globe to be entered by the Adventist Church. The Crespo, Argentina, church was first organized in September 1894. The church in Gaspar Alto, Brazil, followed in June 1895. More churches sprang up in Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Bolivia. The Crespo and Gaspar Alto historic sites and museums bear witness to the pioneers who brought the Adventist message to this territory, and inform visitors that “this work of faith and sacrifice needs to be concluded with urgency.”

Top: Many church leaders, members, and visitors attend the inauguration of the Gaspar Alto Adventist Church (left) and museum (right) in 2009. The Gaspar Alto church was the second Adventist church organized in South America. Middle: Visitors to the museum in Argentina can view relevant artifacts and learn about the courage and commitment of early church pioneers in South America. Bottom: Visitors flock to attend an inauguration ceremony held in 2012 at the Crespo Adventist historic church in Argentina, the first Adventist church organized in South America.

* Floyd Greenleaf, A Land of Hope: The Growth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South America (Tatuí, Brazil: Casa Publicadora Brasileira, 2011), p. 26.

Renato Stencel is director of the Ellen G. White Research Center at UNASP, Brazil.

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NORTH AMERICA

Remember the Mighty

of cts A God

By Merlin D. Burt

od has often chosen to reveal Himself in the Bible through stories. Most of the Bible is history. Many books of the Bible recount history, and the heart of the Bible is the Gospels, which contain the story and words of Jesus. The Holy Spirit uses them to connect us to God. God’s mighty acts are revealed in the Bible, but also in the formation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Ellen White wrote: “In reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what the Lord has wrought, I am filled with astonishment, and with confidence in Christ as leader. We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.”* The Seventh-day Adventist Church has, in the past few decades, acquired significant historical Adventist sites through Adventist Heritage Ministry (AHM). Each of these properties is intended to tell the story of both Adventist history and the teachings of the Bible. They are not shrines, but places to remember and learn. They play a special role in evangelism and education. Visiting historic sites, whether those mentioned here or other significant places in North America or internationally, remind us of God’s mighty acts and message. These places tangibly connect us to what God has done in the past, and point visitors to the loving Savior who is coming soon. * Ellen G. White, Life Sketches of Ellen G. White (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1915), p. 196.

Left: The most recent property acquired by AHM is the home where Joseph Bates grew up. Bates helped James and Ellen White, Hiram Edson, and other pioneers to accept the Sabbath through his August 1846 tract The Seventh Day Sabbath, A Perpetual Sign. The Bates home will tell the story of God’s work in bringing the Sabbath message to the Advent movement, his time as a seaman, his emphasis on temperance, the abolition of slavery, and his Millerite and Sabbatarian Adventist influence.

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C O V E R F E AT U R E

Left: William Miller led the Advent movement in North America in the years leading up to 1844. From this prophetic movement, Sabbatarian Adventism and the Seventh-day Adventist Church emerged. Miller was passionate about Jesus as a personal Savior and Friend. He was also passionate about the Bible. God used him to influence future leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to give their lives to the proclamation of the gospel in the light of the soon coming of Jesus.

Right: The Historic Adventist Village in Battle Creek, Michigan, tells the story of how God brought the church from its fledgling beginnings to a worldwide evangelistic movement. Leaders moved to Battle Creek in 1855, and most of them remained there for 48 years. There the church adopted the name Seventh-day Adventist, organized the General Conference, officially organized the publishing, health, and educational ministries, and began international evangelism. The historic village includes James and Ellen White’s first home; the relocated Parkville, Michigan, church, in which Ellen White had her first vision about the U.S. Civil War; and other historic and replicated buildings. Important teachings of the church were developed here, including the great controversy theme, tithing, and righteousness by faith emphasized in the three angels’ messages. The visitor center also tells about John Harvey Kellogg and Battle Creek Sanitarium.

Bottom: Hiram Edson was a faithful supporter of the Advent message, both in personal labor and finances. His farm in upstate New York was the location of important conferences and Bible study. Edson influenced O.R.L. Crosier in his promotion of the heavenly sanctuary doctrine. At Edson’s farm in late 1846 Joseph Bates likely made the connection between the Most Holy Place ministry of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary and the Sabbath, which was then connected to the three angels’ messages. Edson accepted the Sabbath as Bates read from his Sabbath tract. In his barn, Hiram found peace that God would guide him to new light after the disappointment of October 22, 1844.

Merlin Burt is director of the Center for Adventist Research and Ellen G. White Estate branch office at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary.

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F U N D A M E N T A L

B E L I E F S

By Gerald A. Klingbeil

NUMBER 7 NUMBER 00

Who ? m A

ho am I? is not only a question teenagers ask. Faced with questionable role models and challenged by an everchanging zeitgeist we struggle to know the answer to one of life’s most profound, yet basic, questions. Scripture tells us that we were created by a loving Creator who tenderly formed and shaped us into His image and likeness (Gen. 1:27; 2:7). Created? The world around us tells us that, somehow, we evolved. In His image and likeness? What does this mean, considering how humans treat other humans? We have all seen the images of victims in one of the many war-ravaged regions of this world. We wonder why children keep dying from malnutrition while companies continue to destroy millions of tons of perfectly good food for the sake of “market stability.” Do we still reflect His image and His likeness after thousands of years of sin destroying a planet described by God on the sixth day of creation as “very good” (Gen. 1:31)? “We” Matters

Creation is a good place to begin to find some answers to these tough questions. Sociologists have noticed that most societies fall somewhere on a continuum between individualism and collectivism. Some cultures emphasize more community. A group of people make decisions in these cultures as they listen to one another and find common ground. Consensus is not a bad word in these societies. In other cultures, individual responsibility and accountability are highly valued. Everyone makes his or her own decisions, based on their understanding of reality— and, then, they live with the consequences of these decisions. Interestingly, these ways of thinking are often associated with geographical locations. Western thinking versus Eastern thinking; South against North. The biblical creation account highlights community. Adam and Eve were both created in God’s image and likeness. Together they are invited to “be fruitful” (plural verbal form) and “fill the earth” (Gen. 1:28). Together they are commanded to “rule” over the animal world. Together they are given bountiful food and the special blessing of weekly Sabbath time with their Creator.

Adventist World - nad | July 2017

Navigating the delicate balance of “I” and “we”

“We” counts in Scripture. God saves a people out of Egypt before He saves them individually. He speaks to them in community from Sinai. His laws affect generations (see, for example, the wording of the Sabbath command in Exodus 20:8-11). Blessings and curses touch tribes, families, and clans. Caleb and Joshua suffer the consequences of Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness for 40 years. They recognized the power of “we” and felt it in their personal lives. “We” can be a tough place, when we feel that it wasn’t our fault—and yet it’s part of God’s plan for humanity, for it reflects the community within the Godhead. “I” Counts

We all recognize the power of conviction. We imagine Luther standing defiantly before the Diet of Worms, claiming to rely solely on the authority of Scripture and holding firm to his conviction. Pressured from all sides, the German monk had determined to remain faithful to God’s Word. Since then, Protestants (including Seventh-day Adventists) have emphasized our individual responsibility before God. My response to the moving of the Spirit in my heart determines my standing before God. When Jesus called people during His ministry, He asked them individually to “follow Me.” In fact, individual responsibility and choice is not a New Testament invention. It’s rooted profoundly in the character of God, who searches for humanity to point

them to their heart’s desire of unfettered community. Jeremiah and Ezekiel, two Old Testament prophets, wrote about this hundreds of years before the arrival of the Messiah. Jeremiah 31:29 seems to quote a familiar proverb echoing the common sentiment of Jeremiah’s generation: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” It’s not our fault, people said. We are suffering because of our parents’ unfaithfulness. Verse 30, however, pulls the rug from this assertion. “But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.” Let’s make sure we hear Jeremiah correctly: Your choices and decisions, he says, determine your relationship to the Creator God. Don’t hide behind your parents’ guilt. Recognize your own guilt.

Between “We” and “I”

Clearly a biblical understanding of the nature of humanity recognizes the fine line between “we” and “I.” The Godhead worked in harmony to save a planet in rebellion. “Let us make mankind” (Gen. 1:26, NIV) is not only a rhetorical device indicating the grandeur of the moment. It’s a hint of how much God values community—even in Creation. This important value of shared community and heart-to-heart fellowship can be found at crucial points throughout Scripture. Abraham did not leave Ur alone— he was part of a large household, even before Isaac was born. Moses did not build the sanctuary, God’s dwelling place on earth, single-handedly. Grace and justice need to be shared. Salvation is meant to reach the entire world. Jesus’ call to “follow Me” affects individuals, brothers and sisters, families, and entire towns. Peter’s sermon transforms a large diverse group of people who join a growing community of followers of Jesus. They share bread; they plead for the Spirit; they dream of preaching the good news—and then they realize that their dreams have been too small. Sometimes they struggle to stick together; sometimes they hit the limits of their own preconceived ideas and marvel at God’s handiwork. God reaches His world. God crosses borders. Surely no man or woman is an island. Together with Peter and Paul and Abraham and Rahab and David (and Martin Luther), we too recognize that our personal choices affect the world we live in. We underMan and woman were made in the image of God with individuality, stand that sin entered the world through one perthe power and freedom to think and to do. Though created free beings, son’s sin (Rom. 5:12-15); but, Paul continues, each is an indivisible unity of body, mind, and spirit, dependent upon “through one Man’s righteous act the free gift God for life and breath and all else. When our first parents disobeyed came to all men, resulting in justification of life” God, they denied their dependence upon Him and fell from their high (verse 18). I reckon that’s enough good news for position. The image of God in them was marred and they became me to share freely with those surrounding me. n

The

Nature of

Humanity

subject to death. Their descendants share this fallen nature and its consequences. They are born with weaknesses and tendencies to evil. But God in Christ reconciled the world to Himself and by His Spirit restores in penitent mortals the image of their Maker. Created for the glory of God, they are called to love Him and one another, and to care for their environment. (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:7, 15; 3; Ps. 8:4-8; 51:5, 10; 58:3; Jer. 17:9; Acts 17:24-28; Rom. 5:12-17; 2 Cor. 5:19, 20; Eph. 2:3; 1 Thess. 5:23; 1 John 3:4; 4:7, 8, 11, 20.)

Adventist World associate editor Gerald A. Klingbeil has long been fascinated to see how God manages the tension between “I” and “we.”

July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

N A D F E AT U R E By Kimberly Luste Maran

Border Crossings and Faith C

Calexico Mission School Educates f God uses His people in myriad ways to spread His Word. This month the North American Division is excited to share two features that show how Adventists are using their gifts and skills in areas and ways not ordinarily thought to provide that opportunity. One explores Calexico Mission School in California, which was featured in a Los Angeles Times article this spring. The other shares how faith community nursing (and health ministry in general) is important to the Westvale Seventh-day Adventist Church in Syracuse, New York.—Editors.

Elementary school students are all smiles on the Calexico Mission School playground. Most of them are bilingual and bicultural, which helps them feel like family.

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hile some are drawn to stories of fear and uncertainty felt by some of the United States’ neighbors to the south in recent months, a Los Angeles Times article published April 24, 2017, shared the story of Calexico Mission School (CMS). This Seventh-day Adventist school is perched on the California border between Mexico and the United States. What began as a 30-student, one-teacher classroom in 1937 has grown into a K-12 institution with 300 students. “Our school’s 80 years of educational legacy is a testament to the fact that God is using Adventist education to touch young lives in incredible ways,” says Oscar Olivarria, school principal and former student. “No wall, policy, currency, language, or political agenda can stop God’s work.” Humberto Wong, a Stanford Uni-

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versity-trained radiologist who attended CMS from kindergarten through ninth grade, shares, “My father also went to Calexico Mission School in the 1960s. He and his brother became Seventh-day Adventists because of this experience. My mother converted when she and my father got married; my brother and I were raised Adventist and went to school every morning across the border from Mexicali, just like the Los Angeles Times article describes.” Wong’s mother retired a couple years ago, after serving many years as the school librarian. The Southeastern California Conference school’s mission statement clearly defines the responsibility the school has undertaken. The school exists “to show children Jesus, nurture their love for Him and others, teach them to think, and empower them to serve.”

h Community Nursing

s for the Future “The school’s mission statement does encapsulate my experience,” says Wong. “Bible class really helped to reinforce Christian principles in those formative years.” Up to 85 percent of the student body is comprised of students who cross the border from Mexico each school day. Most are not Adventists. Some walk from street corners where public transportation (buses or taxis) from the city of Mexicali drop them off. Some drive to the border in parent carpools “on good days” when traffic at the border checkpoint isn’t too heavy. Winding passageways lead them to the border and a short walk from the checkpoint to the school. “The temperature was often more than 100 degrees [Fahrenheit] as we walked to school,” says Carlos Quiroz, who attended the school from kindergarten through ninth grade. “It was fun, though, walking to school with friends, piling six of us in taxis sometimes.” The children of CMS not only deal with the heat—they also live with the stress of biculturalism. And Quiroz remembers disruptions, on occasion, from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—then known as Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)—when nonstudents trying to blend in on campus would be forcibly removed. “You know how some kids would play ‘cops and robbers’? Or ‘cowboys and Indians’? We played ‘La Migra.’ That was how we dealt with things, how we internalized it.”

I S T O C K

An Average School Day

Calexico Mission School is located in the United States. It serves students from both sides of the border, less than 100 yards from the school. Exchange Rates and Opportunities

For parents who send their children to CMS, the financial burden can be great, but the effort is worth it. “Like those kids in the Los Angeles Times story, we would watch the exchange rates. It was a concern,” Olivarria says. Olivarria, completing his first year as principal, sees this daily with current students. Earlier this school year parents experienced anxiety with a tuition increase of almost 20 percent, after the peso-dollar exchange rate went from 18 to almost 22 pesos per dollar within the first semester. Realizing that students were also anxious, one teacher encouraged her students to pray. For several months they prayed each day “for the dollar to go down.” “In all my years living here I have never ever seen the peso close such a large gap on the dollar,” says Olivarria, admitting early skepticism. “But in the three weeks that followed, the exchange rate dropped to an even lower rate than what we had at the start of the school

year. Moreover, this favorable rate has been steady since March, which is giving new hope to our families.” Quiroz, who now resides in northern California, says, “My family always valued education and opportunity. My dad grew up in the jungles of Panama and [eventually] settled in Mexico. Education was always a priority, a way to find the opportunity to create a better life.” Quiroz works with a nonprofit organization on outreach, and has continued to value education and teach those principles to his own child. He and his wife are excited their daughter just finished her sophomore year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “The students at [CMS] share a unique experience,” says Quiroz. “For me, the school was family. The teachers understood the students, and the teachers were often like the students: bilingual and bicultural.” A Path Forward

Living through similar situations with financial and immigration

July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

S C H O O L

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Calexico Mission School students and faculty meet by the flag pole to pray for the school’s plans and activities. “See you at the pole” is led by the student body association. The border fence is visible in the distant background.

concerns, Olivarria says that seeing what happened this year “was an amazing lesson taught by my little sixth graders: never limit our infinite God.” He adds, “This is the reason I’m back at CMS. I’m honored that God has put in my heart a desire to share Him with these kids, and that I get to be a part of this wonderful ministry in my own home.” “With so many people living in fear, Calexico Mission School provides a vital, well-rounded education, and a path forward for children living along both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border,

regardless of their nationality,” says Dan Jackson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America (NAD). “Despite the physical barriers that may separate their homes, the boys and girls who study at Calexico Mission share the same dream, to gain the tools necessary not only to make a positive impact on their respective communities, but to inspire other generations to seek a life-transforming education.” Says Olivarria, “The latest interest on the border, along with the abundance of media reports brimming

with fear, which, by the way, only magnifies such sentiment, has allowed us to share a refreshing perspective that is not really new right from the epicenter of all this talk. “Our focus at Calexico Mission School has always been to counter any remark that provokes worry about God’s promises to bless and love His children. This is the eternal truth that existed before countries and borders. [It] is just as true today as it was then. “Our commitment to echo God’s Word will always be a part of who we are and what we do.” n

Nurses’ Sabbath Emphasizes ers interested in faith community nursing. Angeline David, health ministries director for the North American Division, and Betsy Johnson, president of the Adventist Association of Faith Community Nursing and the faith community nurse employed by the Emmanuel-Brinklow Seventh-day Adventist Church in Maryland, spoke during the church’s morning services. Both highlighted the importance of health ministry outreach at local churches. Biblical examples of caring for the needs of others were given. David also shared material from Ellen White on health mandates for the church. Johnson believes that Adventists “need a rejuvenation on how health

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or the past 11 years Joan Payne, a nurse practitioner and member of the Westvale Seventh-day Adventist Church in Syracuse, New York, has coordinated Nurses’ Sabbath, typically held on the first Saturday of May. The event, which celebrates nurses in the congregation and the local community, is timed to coincide with National Nurses Week in the United States, held May 6 through May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Almost 400 people attended this year’s event on April 29. “Each year we’ve expanded,” says Payne. This year two guest speakers delivered messages on Sabbath, followed by a fellowship dinner and a panel-type session in the afternoon for pastors, nurses, and oth-

D A M S T E E G T

Faith Community Nursing

Angeline David, NAD Health Ministries director, speaks to attendees at the Westvale Seventhday Adventist Church Nurses’ Sabbath on April 29, 2017.

July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

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N A D F E AT U R E

Betsy Johnson (right), president of the Adventist Association of Faith Community Nursing, greets a guest at the Westvale Nurses’ Sabbath. Attendees to Nurses’ Sabbath pray together during the Sabbath morning service. ministries can partner with the spiritual ministry of our churches.” She says, “This is our mandate, and I believe we’ve lost sight of that over the years. An event like this is very refreshing, and empowering.” David is excited to celebrate the nurses within the Adventist church and faith community as a whole. She says, “Nurses’ Sabbath is not only to honor the work that our nurses do within the church as members; it’s also an outreach to the nurses in the community who attend this event. This gives us another opportunity to bridge with them, to show that the Seventh-day Adventist Church cares for them, and values their profession.” More Than an Invitation

For Payne, who has been a faith community nurse at Westvale for one year, Nurses’ Sabbath serves multiple purposes. “Nurses work hard,” says Payne. “They have to be jacks-of-all-trades these days and grounded in many areas. This program honors them for their commitment. It’s a great witnessing opportunity; we get people to our church who otherwise wouldn’t come, but will come because it is a special Sabbath for nurses.” Seong Cho, Westvale’s pastor, agrees. “As Adventists, we have many professionals in the medical field. The next step is to consecrate them for the work they are doing. What a great way to minister to people, not just physically, but spiritually.” Cho sees incredible potential for P H O T O S :

P I E T E R

D A M S T E E G T

ministry through faith community nursing in his own church, through their soon-to-be-revamped Community Services center, which works with the local food bank one day a month to help feed 27 families. Says Cho, “It would be wonderful to have a faith community nurse there on that day to administer blood pressure checks and ask the people how they are doing healthwise. It will be a time when we’ll be connecting with the community face to face.” “We are placed in the community to make connection with the community. To love them,” says Cho. “We are part of the life of the community; that means in every aspect in the community. Part of meeting those needs is to provide health advice and directions.” Cho adds, “Adventists can no longer be the backseat driver when it comes to health messages in the world today. Other groups are taking the message and driving it home. We need to get back into the driver’s seat and carry the health message to the world.”

resources and take the information and make it real, make it personal, and make it relevant to their community.” Says Johnson. “Faith community nursing is the ability to take the spirituality of our church and inoculate that into the community while taking the resources from the community and bringing that into our faith community,” she says. “It’s a dynamic partnership that will be able to help meet the needs of the church as well as the community.” NAD health ministries and Southern Adventist University are partnering to host training for faith community nursing July 23-27, 2017. Visit www.nadhealthministries.org for more information. n

Community Connection

David is aware of the NAD’s limitations. “We aren’t on the ground in every community. That’s where our churches come in,” explains David. “They are the ones who can really impact the community. We value that partnership with our local churches, with our conferences, our unions. They’re the ones who can take

Kimberly Luste Maran

is an assistant director of the North American Division Office of Communication; Pieter Damsteegt contributed to the Nurses’ Sabbath feature.

July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

A D V E N T I S T

L I F E

Reflections

By Michael Chesanek

If you don’t think others are watching you, think again.

ounan Gadelkarim grew up living with his parents, grandparents, uncle, and brother in Upper Egypt, an area in the Middle East where it is common for large families to live together. Although his entire family were Christians, only his grandmother and grandfather were Seventh-day Adventists. From when he was about 10 years old, Younan’s father and grandfather sometimes would take him to church with them. Even though he was raised in a Christian home and occasionally attended church, Younan did not have a serious relationship with God. During his teen years he focused, like most kids his age, on such things as friends and television—things that captivated his time and attention but did not help him grow closer to God. Younan’s father wanted Younan to attend a Christian school. He had come to know some of the Adventist pastors and liked them. So although Younan’s father was not an Adventist, his familiarity with the church made him comfortable with sending Younan to the Adventist high school in Cairo, Egypt: Nile Union Academy. While a student at the academy, Younan began to learn more about God, the Bible, and Adventist beliefs,

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but he continued to resist turning his life fully over to God. His interest in spiritual things, however, increased. Younan began to hear the quiet whisper of the Holy Spirit calling him to give up worldly things and to follow Jesus fully. Which Path to Choose?

When Younan graduated from academy, he was faced with a tough decision about where to attend university. Nile Union Academy was not accredited by the Egyptian government, so he was unable to advance to a university in Egypt. There were several universities in countries throughout the Middle East, though, that Younan could choose to attend. One region that seemed enticing was Lebanon, a small country surrounded by Syria, Israel, and the Mediterranean Sea. There were several public universities in Lebanon to choose from, but there was also Middle East University—a Seventh-day Adventist institution founded in 1939. Younan knew that influences at public universities could lead him away from God, and that Middle East University would provide more spiritual advantages. The Adventist university, however, was privately funded, and tuition was higher. Despite this,

STUDYING WITH CLASSMATES: Younan Gadelkarim (right) enjoys studying with other students in class.

C O U R T E S Y

O F

M I D D L E

E A S T

U N I V E R S I T Y

Younan set his heart on attending Middle East University, and God worked out the finances. Soon Younan was on his way to Lebanon. Overcoming Trials

After he arrived at the university, Younan met one of the campus pastors. Younan was impressed by how kind and loving this pastor was toward him. The pastor often took time to talk with Younan, expressing an interest in his personal life. The caring pastor reminded Younan of the Jesus he had always heard about while growing up. One day Younan became ill and was unable to attend his classes. His head hurt horribly, and he had a high fever. A missionary doctor from Brazil happened to be staying on the university campus while helping to care for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Younan did not have money to pay a doctor or to buy medicine, so the young missionary doctor took care of him. Every morning and evening the doctor checked on Younan in his dorm room. He was concerned about Younan and knew he needed medicine to treat Younan’s illness. Since Younan could not afford it, the doctor used his own money to purchase the medicine. The men’s dean at the university’s

dormitory, a missionary from Portugal, was also worried about Younan. He visited Younan many times each day and provided him with things he needed. In time, because of the kindness and care of the missionary doctor and the dean, Younan got better. Younan was affected by the genuine concern these two men had shown him—a love actuated by the Spirit of Jesus—and his interest in learning more about Jesus and the Adventist Church deepened. God Provides Another Friend

To help pay for his tuition, Younan worked as a landscaper for the university. He was responsible for cutting grass, trimming trees and bushes, cleaning sidewalks and parking lots, and other similar duties. Younan’s supervisor was an older student named Tsila. Even though Tsila was Younan’s supervisor, he worked humbly alongside Younan and treated him as an equal. Younan noticed how humble and caring Tsila was, and again could not help thinking, This must be what a genuine Christian looks like. Seeing Jesus living through Tsila created in Younan a desire to become more like Jesus. One day while throwing trash out of a storage area at work, Younan

found two Bibles. Younan got permission to keep one of the Bibles, and took it to his dorm room. A few days later one of the university pastors, a missionary from Younan’s home country of Egypt, came and talked to Younan about baptism. Younan felt impressed that God had been using recent events to tell him that it was time to fully turn his life over to Jesus. He told the pastor that yes, he was ready to make the decision to follow his Lord and Savior. After studying the Bible further with the pastor, Younan invited Jesus into his heart and was baptized. “The Lord used the missionary doctor, the men’s dean, my work supervisor, and others at the university to show me His love and character, and to draw me to Him,” says Younan. “Through them I learned who Jesus really is and came to love Him with my whole heart. When we have Jesus living in our hearts, He can truly use us to reach others.” n

Michael Chesanek is an instructor of English at Middle East University in Lebanon.

July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

B I B L E

Q U E S T I O N S

A N S W E R E D

The

Who is the “man of sin” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8?

Man of Sin

The apocalyptic passage of 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8 is so dense that it raises questions for which it is difficult to provide answers. However, when we compare it to the biblical passages that provide its foundation, some elements of the prophecy appear to be clear. We will examine the main passages from which the apocalyptic imagery is taken, then we will examine possible implications of these textual connections. 1. Daniel and the Antichrist. Paul incorporates in his description of the work of the “lawless one” elements from the prophecies of Daniel. According to Daniel, out of the 10 horns of the fourth beast (Rome) comes a little horn speaking against God and attempting “to change the set times and the laws” (Dan. 7:25, NIV). This same power “exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host” and launched an attack against the heavenly sanctuary (Dan. 8:11, 13), profaning it. The “lawless one” (2 Thess. 2:8) is characterized by pride and lawlessness and is opposed to the temple of God. Daniel adds that this religious-political power will exalt himself above every god and will not respect “the God of his fathers” or “any god” (Dan. 11:37). The parallels with 2 Thessalonians 2:4 are impressive. Daniel describes a religious-political power that was to rise after the fall and division of the Roman Empire and represented apostate Christianity during the Middle Ages. 2. Isaiah, Ezekiel, and the Fallen Cherub. Paul indicates that the “lawless one,” “sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thess. 2:4, NIV). Ezekiel uses the same imagery and language when writing about the fall of a cherub in heaven. This heavenly being was “on the holy mountain of God” (Eze. 28:14), but his fundamental problem was pride: “ ‘I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god.’ . . . You think you are as wise as a god” (verse 2, NIV). Isaiah also refers to this fallen cherub. It was his plan to “ascend to the heavens,” to place his “throne above the stars of God,” and “to sit enthroned on the mount of the assembly,” on God’s temple (Isa. 14:12, 13, NIV). He even said, “I will make myself like the Most

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High” (verse 14, NIV). The information from Ezekiel and Isaiah is summarized by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:4. Ezekiel and Isaiah tell us that behind God’s earthly enemies there is a spiritual power, working out his intentions to oppose God. Throughout human history Satan uses human institutions to accomplish his intentions, but his goal is to accomplish them by himself, in his own person. This is precisely what Paul describes in his apocalyptic passage. 3. Earthly and Spiritual Antichrist. By combining prophecies from these prophets, Paul describes the coming of a future earthly power who acts in opposition to God and the future coming and work of the fallen heavenly cherub. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8 Paul predicts the work, revelation, and final destruction of both. The historical expression of the antichrist through the apostasy that came into the Christian church will reach universal dimensions at the end of time, when the antichrist personally will attempt to occupy God’s place on this planet. He couldn’t do it in God’s heavenly temple but will attempt to do it here on earth. In fact, the antichrist will imitate the coming of Christ. Paul describes the Second Coming as “His [Christ’s] coming [parousia]” (verse 8), and the revelation of the “lawless one” as “the coming [parousia] of the lawless one” (verse 9). Notice also that the verb “to be revealed” (apokaluptō) is used to describe the coming of both—Jesus in 2 Thessalonians 1:7; and the lawless one in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 6. 8. At the end, there will be a false, satanic “coming/revelation” and the true one. Paul is describing the work of the antichrist through a historical and religious institution, and through his own personal “coming.” In this case the “lawless one” is the historical manifestation of the antichrist during the Middle Ages, as well as the personal “coming” of the real antichrist, whom “Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth” (verse 8, NIV; cf. Isa. 14:4). n

Angel Manuel Rodríguez is retired after

serving as a pastor, professor, and theologian. He lives in Texas, United States.

B I B L E

S T U D Y

By Mark A. Finley

Thriving

B R U C E

L A M

in Difficult Days

ll of us have them; we cannot avoid them. Try as hard as we might, they still haunt us. Sometimes they come upon us suddenly. Other times they creep up on us gradually. Difficult days engulf all of us at times. Like a dense fog, they cloud our vision. Like thick darkness, they obscure the light of day. The question is not whether we will ever experience difficult days; the question is how we can get through challenging times in our lives. Maybe we can do something more than just hang on and endure tough times. Can we actually learn to thrive in difficult days? That’s what this lesson is all about.

What assurance are we given when we go through difficult days? Read Hebrews 13:5. We never have to go through difficult times alone. The ever-present Christ is there. He will not forsake us or leave us to face life’s overwhelming challenges alone.

2 When the future appears uncertain, and our lives seem to be engulfed in darkness, what is God’s promise? Discover encouraging words in Isaiah 41:10. Our Lord’s counsel is not to be confused about what’s going on in our lives. We may not understand it, but we can find confidence in His words: “I will strengthen you, . . . I will help you, . . . I will uphold you.” The picture here is of individuals who have no strength and seem ready to fall. But Christ strengthens them, supports them, and holds them up.

When we face perplexing decisions and are uncertain about where to turn, what promises of God can we cling to? Discover hopeful promises in Psalm 32:8, Isaiah 42:16, and Isaiah 58:11.

How can we endure when we feel weak? Read 2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 4:13, and Isaiah 40:29-31. God provides not only guidance for our difficult times, but also strength to enable us to cope with the challenges. We may feel weak, but He is strong. By faith we grasp His power and are able to thrive in tough times.

What wise counsel did Solomon give to help us through our dark days? Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 11 reveal a fascinating truth. Just as nature has its seasons, so life has its seasons. There are times of joy and sorrow, times of happiness and grief, times when the days seem sunny, and times when they seem dark. The incredible good news is that the trials of life are limited. Difficult days are tempered with God’s love and shortened by God’s grace. What we go through today is of limited duration; it will not last forever.

6 What is God’s solution to the difficult days of our lives? How can we thrive in tough times? Carefully study Job 22:21-28. Job’s counsel is “Acquaint yourself with Him. . . . Lay up His words in your heart.” “Receive, please, instruction from His mouth. . . . Delight in the Almighty.” Light will break through darkness and shine on your ways.

7 When will our difficult, dark days be gone forever? Compare Revelation 21:23 with Revelation 22:5. One day darkness will be gone forever. One day difficult days will be over. Life’s challenges will come to an end, and tears wiped away. One day the light of God’s love and the glory of His grace will shine upon us, filling our hearts with eternal peace and joy. This eternal hope is what encourages our hearts and enables us to thrive in life’s difficult times. n July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

IDEA EXCHANGE Thanks, and God bless you. Because I know God is saying, ‘I am only getting started.’ — Everylyne Jepkemboi, Kenya

Letters About Unity

In the second of two articles on “Unity, Then and Now” (April 2017), Mark Finley states, “In the book of Acts, church organization is paramount to the unity of the church.” Rather than paramount, my reading of Acts suggests a narrative of the early church with only glimpses of a fledgling organization. . . .

PrayerW

Finley does not acknowledge the absence of the council’s mediation from Paul’s disputes with Barnabas, or Paul and women teachers in the church. Graham Fraser Australia Beyond the Cross: Making the Most of Easter

Jarod Thomas had an excellent explanation and advice on how we Adventists could observe Easter (“Beyond the Cross,”April 2017). My prayer and wish is that every true believer could read this devotional. Joseph Cobb via e-mail

Grace Is Where You Find It

I was at the point of giving up in life as a single parent with two kids when I just read the article “Grace Is Where You Find It” (December 2016). The story of Albert Kazako (“From Victims to Victors,” December 2016) really touched me. Thanks, and God bless you. Because I know God is saying, “I am only getting started.” Everlyne Jepkemboi Kenya 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.

PRAISE

Please pray for my wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren that they may come to serve the Lord. Job, South Africa Pray for our Israeli tour guide who believes in Y’Shua. He was deeply moved by being with our group. Jeff, United States Please pray that I get better. I had an allergic relation. I also need prayer for God to lead me. Helen, United States

Please pray for our marriage. We have been married four years and we have many conflicts with one another that we cannot solve on our own. We need the Lord’s help. Du, Vietnam Please pray for me because I am facing so many challenges at my workplace. I want God’s guidance and protection. Andrew, Uganda Please pray for the work of evangelists in Ibagué, Colombia. Shirley, Colombia

Adventist World - nad | July 2017

Kindly pray for my brothers who are consumed by alcohol and drug abuse. Peter, Kenya Please pray for my daughter Dianayra. She is looking for a job, and we want to place her in the hands of the Lord. Eliezer, Colombia

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.

“Behold, I come quickly…” Our mission is to uplift Jesus Christ, uniting Seventh-day Adventists everywhere in beliefs, mission, life, and hope.

rom William Miller’s misinterpretation of the 2300-day prophecy, to the Great Disappointment of October 22, 1844, to the revelation of the heavenly sanctuary, the acceptance of the seventh-day Sabbath, and the visions of Ellen White, the DVD Tell the World takes viewers on a cinematic tour through the birth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It also shows the convergence of social, political, and religious forces through which God worked to bring about a movement that has grown into the global church it is today. With its cast of professional actors and authentic costumes, and much of it set in historic settings, Tell the World delivers infotainment with an inspirational twist. While it bears significant import for all Seventh-day Adventists, youth, in particular, may be surprised and inspired by the young men and women— including one frail teenage girl—portrayed in this historically accurate drama as examples of courage to live one’s ideals, to abandon tradition for the sake of new truth, to press forward while staying focused on Jesus. The production highlights several essential principles: n diligent prayer and Bible study n overcoming disappointments, differences, or opposition nm aking Jesus’ great commission our primary focus n moving forward while guided by prophecy n living with the certainty of Jesus’ return For information, visit TelltheWorld.Adventist.org or https://goo.gl/CSzp0n. — Faith Hunter, General Conference Department of Sabbath School and Personal Ministries

Top 1O The

1O happiest countries in the world are:

N orway nD enmark n I celand nS witzerland nF inland n

N etherlands nC anada nN ew Zealand nA ustralia nS weden n

Those ratings are the result of “high levels of mutual trust, shared purpose, generosity, and good governance.” Other factors include: life expectancy, freedom, and social support. Source: UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network/USA Today

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. Adventist Review Ministries Board Ted N. C. Wilson, chair; Guillermo Biaggi, vice chair, Bill Knott, secretary; Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, Williams Costa, Daniel R. Jackson, Peter Landless, Robert Lemon, Geoffrey Mbwana, G. T. Ng, Daisy Orion, Juan Prestol-Puesán, Ella Simmons, Artur Stele, Ray Wahlen, Karnik Doukmetzian, legal advisor Executive Editor/Director of Adventist Review Ministries Bill Knott Associate Director of Adventist Review Ministries International Publishing Manager Chun, Pyung Duk Adventist World Coordinating Committee Jairyong Lee, chair; Yukata Inada; German Lust; Chun, Pyung Duk; Han, Suk Hee; Lyu, Dong Jin Editors based in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA André Brink, Lael Caesar, Gerald A. Klingbeil (associate editors), Sandra Blackmer, Stephen Chavez, Costin Jordache, Wilona Karimabadi Editors based in Seoul, Korea Chun, Pyung Duk; Park, Jae Man; Kim, Hyo-Jun Operations Manager Merle Poirier Editors-at-large Mark A. Finley, John M. Fowler Senior Advisor E. Edward Zinke Financial Manager Kimberly Brown Manuscript Evaluation Coordinator Marvene Thorpe-Baptiste Management Board Jairyong Lee, chair; Bill Knott, secretary; Chun, Pyung Duk; Karnik Doukmetzian; Han, Suk Hee; Yutaka Inada; German Lust; Ray Wahlen; Ex-officio: Juan Prestol-Puesán; G. T. Ng; Ted N. C. Wilson Art Direction and Design Jeff Dever, Kim Pollock Consultants Ted N. C. Wilson, Juan Prestol-Puesán, G. T. Ng, Guillermo E. Biaggi, Mario Brito, Abner De Los Santos, Dan Jackson, Raafat A. Kamal, Michael F. Kaminskiy, Erton C. Köhler, Ezras Lakra, Jairyong Lee, Israel Leito, Thomas L. Lemon, Solomon Maphosa, Geoffrey G. Mbwana, Blasious M. Ruguri, Saw Samuel, Ella Simmons, Artur A. Stele, Glenn Townend, Elie Weick-Dido 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 E-mail: worldeditor@gc.adventist.org Web site: www.adventistworld.org 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, Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, and the United States.

Vol. 13, No. 7

July 2017 | Adventist World - nad

S P I R I T

O F

P R O P H E C Y

By Ellen G. White

Our Godly

Heritage

Remembering and recounting God’s goodness

What’s on God’s Heart

No sooner does the child of God approach the mercy seat than he becomes the client of the great Advocate. At his first utterance of penitence and appeal for pardon Christ espouses his case and makes it His own, presenting the supplication before the Father as His own request. . . . God desires His obedient children to claim His blessing and to come before Him with praise and thanksgiving. God is the Fountain of life and power. He can make the wilderness a fruitful field for the people that keep His commandments, for this is for the glory of His name. He has done for His chosen people that which should inspire every heart with thanksgiving, and it grieves Him that so little praise is offered. He desires to have a stronger expression from His people, showing that they know they have reason for joy and gladness.

B R A D

A U S T I N

od’s appointments and grants in our behalf are without limit. The throne of grace is itself the highest attraction because occupied by One who permits us to call Him Father. But God did not deem the principle of salvation complete while invested only with His own love. By His appointment He has placed at His altar an Advocate clothed with our nature. As our Intercessor, His office work is to introduce us to God as His sons and daughters. Christ intercedes in behalf of those who have received Him. To them He gives power, by virtue of His own merits, to become members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King. . . .

Keeping History Alive

The dealings of God with His people should be often repeated. How frequently were the waymarks set up by the Lord in His dealings with ancient Israel! Lest they should forget the history of the past, He commanded Moses to frame these events into song, that parents might teach them to their children. They were to gather up memorials and to lay them up in sight. Special pains were taken to preserve them, that when the children should inquire concerning these things, the whole story might be repeated. Thus the providential dealings and the marked goodness and mercy of God in His care and deliverance of His people were kept in mind. We are exhorted to call to “remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions.” Hebrews 10:32, KJV. For His people in this generation the Lord has wrought as a wonderworking God. The past history of the cause of God needs to be often

Adventist World - nad | July 2017

brought before the people, young and old. We need often to recount God’s goodness and to praise Him for His wonderful works. While we are exhorted not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, these assemblies are not to be merely for our own refreshing. We are to be inspired with greater zeal to impart the consolation we have received. It is our duty to be very jealous for the glory of God and to bring no evil report. . . . The whole person is privileged to bear a decided testimony in every line. In features, in temper, in words, in character, we are to witness that the service of God is good. Thus we proclaim that “the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” Psalm 19:7, KJV. n

Seventh-day Adventists believe that Ellen G. White (1827-1915) exercised the biblical gift of prophecy during more than 70 years of public ministry. This excerpt is taken from the book Testimonies for the Church, volume 6, pages 363-365.

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