Frontline Edition by Global Mission - 1st Quarter 2010

FRONTLINEedition

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P R A Y E R I S S U E 10

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1Q E D I T O R I A L

FRONTLINEedition

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he smell of fresh cut wood and gasoline filled the air as we slipped down the alleyway and into the small office of the church. Inside, two Global Mission pioneers perched on the corners of overflowing desks. In the background, voices were quietly singing, something I hadn’t heard when I visited the small group meeting unobtrusively in an apartment in another city in this Central Asian country.

Later I would learn that most of the church members here were foreigners. I was introduced to a dark-haired gentleman. He was dressed simply; the gaze of his dark eyes never left the ground. I learned he was studying the Bible with one of the pioneers.

He was from a neighboring country, a country with very few Adventists. I can’t tell you the rest of the story, because I don’t know it. There are stories without endings, at least here on earth.

Praying for the Unreached Another place, another time, I was walking across a small bridge, a bridge to nowhere. The concrete walkway led to a chain link fence, topped by coils of razor wire.

The fence was covered with pieces of cloth, sun bleached yellow ribbons and faded pictures. To my right was a guard tower with a soldier scanning the crowds through his binoculars. This was as far as I could go. On the other side was a country that is all but closed to mission work.

Yet another place and time.

My eyes scanned the scores of people waiting patiently at the temples. There seemed to be a temple on every street, around every corner, another shrine.

A young boy, wanting to be my guide, kept trying various languages in an attempt to figure out which I spoke. He’d finally settled on English, his persistence and sense of humor made me smile and my smile gave me away. This was a nonChristian country, with its own

official religion. Yet today this country is undergoing changes that may open new doors.

The challenges are different from country to country, from region to region. In some places, information is freely available, yet people refuse to listen. In others people risk relationships, reputations or even lives to hear or share the gospel. In some regions the church has limited funds to cover their vast territories.

Please pray for these countries.

A few are outlined in this issue, but there are many more.

Please pray for our members there. Please pray that God will open doors. Please pray that God will show what you can do for mission in the challenging areas of the world.

Michael L. Ryan –Chairperson, Adventist Mission FRONT LINE EDITION Hindu Study Center is published quarterly by G. R. Mohan Roy Gary Krause –Director Global Mission, part of the Southern Asia Division Office of Adventist Mission, Post Box 2, Ganoune Diop –Study Centers Director at the Seventh-day Adventist HCF Hosur 635110 Rick Kajiura –Communication Director Church World Headquarters.

Tamil Nadu India Taxdeductible gifts for Global Phone: 91 (4344) 26-2170 Marti Schneider –Programs Director Mission projects can be sent to Fax: 91 (4344) 26-2090 Homer Trecartin –Planning Director Global Mission mohanroy@sud-adventist.org 12501 Old Columbia Pike KARLA RIVERA –Donor Services Representative World Jewish Silver Spring, MD 20904 Friendship Center Laurie Falvo –Communication Projects Manager 800-648-5824 Richard Elofer www.global-mission.org Charlotte Ishkanian –Mission Editor P.O Box 592 Global Center For 94186 Jerusalem Andrew King –Video Producer/Editor Adventist-Muslim Israel Phone; 972 (2) 6251 547 Hans Olson –Communication Projects Manager Relations Fax: 972 (2) 6251 391 Lester Merklin www.jewishadventist.org Shyamala Ram –Senior Office Assistant Andrews University rielofer@netvision.net.il Nimfa Sumagaysay–Donor Response Coordinator Berrien Springs, MI 49104-0220 Buddhist Study Center Phone: 240-338-6681 Stella Thomas –Administrative Assistant Scott Griswold Fax: 269-471-6252 2 G L O B A L M I S S I O N • w w w . g l o b a l m Box i s 15, s i Nakhon o n . Luang, org • Daniel Weber –Video Producer/Editor P.O. E-mail: MerklinL@gc.adventist.org

Rick Kajiura is the communication director for Adventist Mission.

Ayutthaya Thailand 13260 griswold@loxinfo.co.th Phone: 66 818 515 414 www.BridgesForMinistry.org

Centre for Secular and Post-Modern Studies 119 St. Peter’s Street; St. Albans, Herts AL1 3EY; ENGLAND Phone: 44 (1727) 854-229 Fax: 44 (1727) 866-312 www.reframe.info ask@reframe.info

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1Q 10

Brothers Bound

by God

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he killers came and started to kill. My mother and my father, and also my elder brothers and sisters were killed during the Rwandan genocide,” says Pierre. “They burned them in a church.”

In April of 1994 the Hutu-dominated Rwandan Army was accused of genocide after it massacred hundreds of thousands of civilians.

Pierre was tending his family’s cows when the soldiers descended on his village. At age nine he fled the country, following other refugees to the neighboring country of Burundi. As he fled, Pierre remembers one thing his parents told him just before the genocide broke out, that if they should die he should always stay faithful to God. By age 10 the fighting had stopped and Pierre returned to his village to search for his family. When Pierre arrived he couldn’t find anyone. His older brothers, his sisters, his aunts and uncles, and his cousins, they were all gone.

Completely alone, Pierre tried to find a place to live. A villager gave him a room to stay in with two other boys that were also orphaned because of the conflict. Pierre quickly discovered that he had a lot in common with the other boys. All three had lost everyone in their families.

Over time the three grew very close through their common tragedy. With hard work, they managed to finish secondary school together.

Pierre continued to attend church every Sabbath just as his parents had taught him to do. Often he would try to tell the other boys about God, but they didn’t want to listen. More than once Pierre would face hard questions from his friends when he brought up religion. They’d say to him, “I’m all alone in this country. All my loved ones

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were killed, so how can you say God is a King? If God exists why did God let the soldiers come?”

After the boys finished secondary school Pierre convinced them to attend the Adventist University of Central Africa. Pierre hoped his friends would find God there, but he knew if could take a while. Through the years as the boys progressed through their university courses they were all taught about Bible doctrine, and the life of Jesus Christ. Then last year during one of the university’s week of prayer programs, the other two boys began to open their hearts to God. They approached him and said, “Pierre up to now you where right. About the Sabbath— we understand. About the worship—we understand. About salvation—we understand.

We’re ready to be baptized.”

Pierre and his two friends are now finishing their studies at the university and are looking forward to telling others about Jesus when they graduate. Your support of Adventist Mission through your weekly mission offerings and Global Mission donations help us tell others about God. This Thirteen Sabbath a special offering will be taken to help built a multipurpose room at the university, which will serve as a worship meeting hall to help bolster the spiritual life of the campus. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Andrew King is a video editor/producer for Adventist Mission.

Fast Facts on Rwanda: Capital: Kigali Official Languages: Kinyarwanda, English, and French Religion: Roman Catholic 56%, Protestant 26%, Seventh-day Adventist 11%, Muslim 5%, other 2% Population: 9.6 million* Adventist membership: 445,556* Adventist to population ratio: 1:22* *General Conference Office of Archives and Statistics, 146th Annual Statistical Report

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Global Mission’s Top 10 Places to Pray for

F E A T U R E

By Hans Olson

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ina* wasn’t raised in a Christian home. In fact she didn’t even know much about Christians till her neighbors invited her to study the Bible with them. Even before they invited her to study the Bible she’d noticed that there was something special about them. As she dug into the Word of God with them she learned more about God and eventually accepted Him as her Savior and was baptized.

For five years Nina’s neighbors had unknowingly witnessed to her through their actions, so when they asked her to join their weekly Bible study she wanted to know more about their lives.

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Without the witness of her neighbors she might have ever known about Him. Nina’s neighbors are an Adventist couple in Central Asia who wanted to do something to help tell the world about Christ Jesus. In this part of the world there are few Adventists, and almost no Global Mission pioneers. In fact a couple years the government closed ago several existing Adventist Church. In many parts of the world, without the personal witness of people like Nina’s neighbors Central Asia isn’t the only place in the world that is desperate to know about Christ. It is not the only place

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in the world were it is exceptionally difficult to share the gospel. Much of the 10/40 Window, with 60 percent of the world’s population, remains largely untouched by Christianity. Stretching from North Africa, through the Middle East, and into East Asia, the 10/40 Window is a high priority area for Global Mission. With relatively few Christians, it is home to many of the world’s major religions, fastest growing cities, and some of the world’s poorest people. Many living within this region have never heard the name of Jesus.

The Christian church as a whole is in decline in

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postmodern-secular areas of the world. And the church struggles to gain or maintain a foothold in the rapidly growing mega cities of the world.

For years the Adventist Church has spent the vast majority of its resources in areas where Christianity is

REGION: Middle East The birthplace of Christianity, the Middle East is largely untouched today with the gospel. The Adventist Church has struggled to grow in this region known for political unrest and religious strife. {Global Mission fund number 5280}

Syria

What is the form of government of Syria?

Republic under authoritarian military-dominated regime What is the predominant language of Syria? Arabic What are the major religions in Syria? Islam, Christianity, and Judaism

known. Today Global Mission continues to make the 10/40 Window a priority in mission.

Following is a list of the top 10 countries that Global Mission has identified as places for which to pray.

They each are places where few to no Adventist live and

where there is little chance of a new congregation starting in the next year. We ask you to please pray with us for God to open a window of opportunity and pray for the Adventist Church to know how to share the gospel when it opens.

By the numbers**: 20 million – population 0 – Adventist membership 1:20 million – ratio of Adventists to population

What religion are people in Yemen?

Mostly Muslim, minority groups of Jews, Christians and Hindus.

By the numbers**: 22 million - population 0 – Adventist membership 1:22 million – ratio of Adventists to population

Saudi Arabia

What is the form of government of Saudi Arabia? Islamic absolute monarchy What is the predominant language of Saudi Arabia? Arabic What is the religion are people in Saudi Arabia?

According to some 100 percent Muslim By the numbers**: 28 million – population 0 – Adventist membership 1:28 million – ratio of Adventists to population

Turkey

What is the form of government of Turkey?

Parliamentary republic What is the predominant language of Turkey?

Turkish What is the major religion of Turkey? The majority of Turks are Muslim By the numbers**: 74 million – population 0 – Adventist membership 1:923,000 – ratio of Adventists to population

Yemen

What is the form of government of Yemen?

Republic What is the predominant language of Yemen? Arabic

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REGION: NORTH Africa While Christianity has grown throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Northern Africa has seen little growth. Some countries have only recently been entered and there are still unentered countries in North Africa. This region of the world is a difficult place for crosscultural missionaries to work and can be expensive to establish a congregation. {Global Mission fund number 5230}

REGION: Asia Worldwide there is one Seventh-day Adventist for every 423** people; but it’s far different in Asia. In Taiwan, there is one Adventist for every 4,415** people. Most of them come from minority ethnic groups in the mountains. In Laos there’s not one ordained Seventh-day Adventist pastor for the country’s six million people. And in Japan, the church is struggling to survive with low baptisms and

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Mauritania

What is the form of government of Mauritania?

Military junta What is the predominant language of Mauritania?

Arabic What is the major religion of Mauritania? Nealy all Mauritanians are Muslim By the numbers**: 3.2 million - population 7 – Adventist membership 1:400,000 – ratio of Adventists to population

Somalia

What is the form of government of Somalia?

Coalition government What are the predominant languages of Somalia? Somali, Arabic, and English What religion are most people in Somalia?

99.9% of the population is Sunni Muslim By the numbers**: 9 million – population 0 – Adventist membership 1:9 million – ratio of Adventists to population

an aging church population. {Global Mission fund number 5240}

Bhutan

What is the form of government of Bhutan?

Constitutional democratic monarchy What are the major languages in Bhutan?

Officially it is Dzongkha, however Bhutanesse also speak a variety of Tibetan and Nepalese dialects.

What are the major religions of Bhutan?

Three-fourths of Bhutanese are Lamaistic Buddhist. The

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remaining 25 percent are Nepalese-influenced Hindus.

By the numbers**: 671,000 – population 0 – Adventist membership 1:671,000 – ratio of Adventists to population

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)

What is the form of government of North Korea?

Socialist republic

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What is the predominant language of North Korea? Korean What are the major religions in North Korea?

REGION: THE SILK ROAD

What are the major

For centuries a vast network of trade routes linked Europe and Asia, the East and West. Today this ancient Silk Road, which stretches from Western China to the Middle East, marks a path where Christianity is hardly known — vast cities with no Adventist believers. {Global Mission fund number 5250}

Central Asia

What is the form of

religions in Central Asia? Muslim and Russian Orthodox. After some 70 years of Communist rule many people consider themselves either secular or atheist.

By the numbers**: 60.4 – population 6,316 – Adventist membership 1:9,568 – ratio of Adventists to population

Iran

government in Central Asia? Presidential republic What countries make up Central Asia?

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

What are the major languages of Central Asia?, Russian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, and Uzbek

By the numbers**: 866,000 – population 0 – Adventist membership 1:866,000 – ratio of Adventists to population

Historically most North Koreans were Buddhists or Confucianists, today most independent religious groups have been disbanded.

What is the form of government of Iran? Islamic

Global Mission—is reaching the unreached with hope.

Each year some 3,000 Global Mission pioneers around the world are telling people about the love of Christ. Since 1990 pioneers have helped establish more than 11,000 new Seventh-day Adventist congregations throughout the world.

One hundred percent of every dollar you give to Global Mission goes directly to the mission field. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Hans Olson is a communication projects manager for Adventist Mission.

republic What is the predominant language of Iran? Per-

sian, Turkic, and Kurdish What is the major religion in Iran? Muslim

(Shia: 88 percent, Sunni: 10 percent) By the numbers**: 72.2 million - population 29 – Adventist membership 1:2.4 million – ratio of Adventists to population

By Hans Olson Communication Projects

Despite all the challenges that remain the Adventist Church’s frontline mission program—

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WORLD NEWS RWANDA Zephyrin walked up the mountainside, breathing in the fresh scent of the eucalyptus forest. The morning sounds— crowing roosters, chattering children, and bleating goats— reached his ears as he walked past a small village. He greeted a man walking toward his farm, homemade hoe slung over his shoulder. Zephyrin, 29, is a Global Mission pioneer in the hills of northern Rwanda. Although Rwanda has one of the highest ratios of Adventists, some areas still have no believers. When he first came to this district two years earlier, he’d found just three Adventists.

Zephyrin studied the people’s needs, searching for a way to make friends for Jesus.

He asked the chief for permission to teach adults to read and write. The chief agreed and gave him three rooms to use. Then he invited people to attend the classes.

Zephyrin was surprised when 126 people showed up for class. Armed with only a blackboard and some chalk, he began teaching several groups of adults.

Eight months later most of the people could read and write at least a little. He formed new groups to study advanced reading and writ-

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ing. When these groups graduated, they could read the Bible in their own language. Zephyrin started and ended class with prayer, and bit-by-bit he told the class members about God. When they asked, he explained the Bible truths to them. As interest increased, Zephyrin arranged to hold evangelistic meetings. And the people came.

About 500 people came to the first meetings. Zephyrin taught them for two weeks and then followed up with visits for a month. He held another two-week series of meetings and a one-month follow-up. He repeated this six times for a total of nine months, all the while continuing to teach literacy classes.

With each series of meetings, the attendance grew.

He was amazed by the response. Almost 200 were baptized in the first baptism. Rosette, the wife of the local school headmaster, was one of the first to ask to be baptized. Zephyrin was concerned that her baptism would make her husband angry, as he hadn’t attended the meetings. But he attended her baptism and

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said, “Who knows? Maybe someday I will be baptized too.”

The headmaster kept his promise and was baptized during the next series of meetings. He has invited some of the church’s new singing groups to present programs in his school. He hopes to generate some interest in the Adventist faith near the school and start another group of believers.

Zephyrin was busier than ever. He continued teaching literacy classes while he held evangelistic meetings, visited interested families, and conducted early-morning worship services and Sabbath services.

Within a year the number of believers grew from three to 300! The church’s mission headquarters purchased some land on which to build a church. They provided cement for the foundation and metal sheets for the roof for a church to seat 500. Zephyrin continued his evangelism

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and his baptisms. Today the church has 439 members, plus many children and visitors. In addition, several smaller groups have formed in neighboring locations.

AUSTRALIA We sometimes hear of “underground churches” which have to meet secretly because of persecution or government limitations to freedom. But in outback Australia a new Global Mission project has gone underground literally. Alan Tuionetoa and his wife Lani are the Global Mission pioneers of a small home church group that is just starting in the opal-mining town of Coober Pedy in South Australia. Their home—like many others in this unique desert town—is a dugout beneath the ground.

Even more interesting is the way this Global Mission project got started. For years Pastor Eric Davey visited isolated Aboriginal groups in the outback of Australia and made many friends. During a visit through the area two years ago with Pastor Don Fehlberg, the two Adventist pastors were asked to conduct the funeral of an aboriginal lady who had died. This led to several new contacts and Bible study requests in Coober Pedy.

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As a result of their visit Pastors Davey and Fehlberg asked Global Mission to start a new church plant in this remote outback town. It took some time to find the right pioneer to lead the venture, but last summer Alan and Lani, moved to this isolated town. The first church meeting took place at the local Lion’s Club. 13 adults and four children attended the service. Alan is working with “core people” in the area who have known Pastor Fehlberg and Pastor Davey for years. “They’ve introduced me to other people in the area,” says Alan.

Alan is now conducting broader outreach within the local indigenous community and says, “My wife and I just go and talk with them.

I’m hoping to start cooking classes.”

A Children’s Club with more than 20 children started last September. Alan bought a portable sound system, keyboard and guitar, funded by a generous donor. He would dearly like to have a bus to

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transport the kids to their activities.

“There’s a good possibility things will grow here. We just need to pray a lot and work hard. It’s exciting,” says Alan.

TAIWAN It was the day of the first baptism in Matsuyama, Taiwan, for Pastor Lee OneHo, and he was a little nervous. As a pioneer missionary pastor his task was to plant a new congregation in an unentered part of this northern Asian country, but he didn’t have a proper baptismal tank to baptize his first new member, Tamai Smiko, a 61-year-old shopkeeper, so he planned to baptize her in the sea. It was March. He prayed for good weather.

Tamai owns a small cosmetic shop in the coastal town of Matsuyama, and usually reads books when there were no customers. She’d come across Pastor OneHo’s church and was curious.

She’d taken some literature and read it in her shop. She

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found the Biblical prophecies in Daniel and Revelations especially interesting. Pastor OneHo found excuses to go to the grocery store near her shop so he could stop in and talk to her about her reading. They started an informal Bible study. Eventually Pastor OneHo asked her if she was ready to be baptized and she excitedly said, “Yes!” When Pastor OneHo later asked Tamai how she made up her mind so fast, she said, “I can’t believe, myself, how I answered you so easily back then.”

Because the closest Adventist church was too far from Matsuyama to go for the baptism, Pastor OneHo decided to risk the weather and baptize Tamai in the sea. Although the chosen day was unusually warm for the time of year, the water was still cold. Pastor OneHo hurried through the baptism hoping that Tamai wouldn’t get too cold. As he lifted her

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out of the water, she started shedding tears of joy. Pastor OneHo knew then that the cold water didn’t’ matter.

Tamai’s new life in Christ was what mattered.

Now Tamai’s neighbor, Okiue, wants to know more about Tamai’s newfound faith. She started attending the small church plant in Matsuyama a few months ago and is studying the Bible with Pastor OneHo. He hopes to baptize her in the near future.

POLAND Three years ago literature evangelist Dariusz Ziarkiewicz visited the home of Teresa, a retiree in Lebork, a small city in northwestern Poland. She purchased several books from him, including Patriarchs and Prophets, The Desire of Ages, and The Great Controversy.

Teresa devoured the books right away.

The books raised some serious questions in Teresa’s mind, so she talked to her

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religious leader about what she learned. He wasn’t able to give her what she considered “reasonable answers;” consequently, she compiled a list of questions to ask Dariusz, if he ever returned.

Dariusz had passed her name on to Joe, the Global Mission pioneer who was starting a church plant in Lebork. When Joe arrived at her house, Teresa peppered him with questions. She was especially interested in salvation by faith and the Sabbath. When Joe asked her if she wanted to study the Bible with him, Teresa readily agreed.

At first she feared leaving her faith group, but as Teresa learned more about God’s plan for her life she felt compelled to join the Adventist church. She was baptized a few months ago, the first new Adventist in the Lebork church plant.

Courtesy: Polish Union Conference

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1Q 10

Hope for the Thirsting

SPECIAL OFFERS

A book of inspiring stories from the former Soviet Union Sometimes God sends an angel to do his work. This time he called 300 inexperienced missionaries, some barely in their 20s. Most were new Christians and new Adventists. Some were previously pizza salesmen, spirit mediums, and professional soccer players. Each of these Global Mission pioneers was given the same assignment: Go back to your home country and plant a church in an area with no other Adventists.

Discover the exciting results in this book: • A lifelong KGB worker who was changed by a bowl of soup • A Bible that spent the night in a wood stove • A communist propaganda expert who found Christ in a children’s Bible • A host of miracles from Siberia to the Asian deserts To learn more about Global Mission and to ask for your free copy of Hope for the Thirsting, visit: www.Global-Mission.org/Offer, or call us at 1-800-648-5824. We’ll send your free book right away.

Free Book Offer from Adventist Mission!

Curse-Proof!

An inspiring story about a young man’s unshakable faith Beloved storyteller Eric B. Hare, with his wife Agnes, served as missionaries in Burma for more than 20 years. Their legacy of mission service continues to inspire Adventists around the world. His many audio recordings have been etched in the memories of children for the past three generations.

Visit www.AdventistMission.org/Offer to order your free copy of Curse-Proof! the newly discovered manuscript by Eric B. Hare, published by Pacific Press®.

Offer available for a limited time and while supplies last.

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along an ancient road For centuries a vast network of trade routes linked Europe and Asia, the East and West. Today this ancient Silk Road marks a path where Christianity is hardly known — vast cities with no Adventist believers, whole regions with no Christian congregations. This path travels through places such as China, Central Asia, the Middle East, Turkey, Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan. A special offering will be taken for this region of the world as part of the 2010 General Conference Session in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 26 and July 3, 2010. You can also give to this offering in your local church in North America on January 30 and May 29, 2010* or online at gcsession. adventistmission.org. Please visit our website for offering dates in your area.

2010 General Conference Session Offering NAD: January 30, 2010 & May 29, 2010* WoRlD: April 10, 2010 FoR MoRE INFoRMATIoN vISIT: GCSESSIoN.ADvENTISTMISSIoN.oRG *These offering dates refer to the North American Division offering schedule, dates may vary.