This week on ANN On January 27, the General Conference (GC) Executive Committee met virtually to address items regarding the upcoming GC session. Members of the committee voted to enact the provision for hybrid meetings approved by the Special GC Executive Committee on January 18. This provision allows delegates to participate by electronic means. Three senior animation majors in the School of Visual Art and Design at Southern Adventist University received the Windrider Best Undergraduate Student Film Award during the Windrider Summit & the Sundance Film Festival Experience 2022. Mugi Kinoshita, Avery Kroll, and Ruth Perez were recognized for their short animated film Knock Knock. It tells the story of two masked elementary students who communicate by knocking on the plexiglass that divides them and writing sticky notes to each other. The School of Visual Art and Design professors aim to teach their students a balance of artistic perspectives while firmly grounding them in their faith. Nearly 400 people on Venezuela's Margarita Island recently received comprehensive medical services from dozens of Seventh-day Adventist medical and health professionals who donated their time and resources during a four-day intervention initiative. Free services include ophthalmology, psychology, dental, general medicine, blood pressure check-up services, and much more. Participants were also able to hear talks on prevention and the eight natural remedies for a healthier lifestyle. The Adventist Community Service (ACS) team from the Rocky Mountain Conference has set up a distribution center in the Denver, Colorado, area to assist residents affected by the recent Colorado Marshall Fire. The 6,000-acre wildfire damaged or destroyed 1,270 homes and businesses and is considered the most destructive fire in Colorado history. More than 150 volunteers from all backgrounds and areas across the country are working with ACS to serve between 100 and 200 families daily. On January 13, more than 40 people from diverse faith traditions gathered for the third Religious Freedom Prayer Breakfast hosted by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America. The event recognized January 16 as National Religious Freedom Day in the U.S. and included a prayer for elected officials, the community, nation, global health and healing, peace, religious freedom, and unity of spirit. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), Share & Care initiative in Huis ter Heide, Netherlands, is providing Dutch language lessons and other social activities for Afghan refugees. About 400 refugees have been sheltered in nearby Zeist. ADRA has been active worldwide for thirty years as a development organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but ADRA Share & Care started in 2020 with neighborhood activities to help ensure social and economic justice within the Netherlands. Volunteers from the center-north of Espírito Santo, Brazil, mobilized to renovate homes to serve at least three families in the region. The initiative promoted by young people and adults of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is part of the Mission Caleb project. Donations come from members of five Adventist churches located nearby. Also in Brazil, residents of eastern Minas Gerais, Brazil, suffered from recent flooding due to heavy rains, many losing all their possessions. In the region of Caratinga, for example, more than 300 families were displaced, according to the Civil Defense. In an attempt to lessen residents' loss, church members through the Mission Caleb project mobilized to provide food, clothing, and personal hygiene items. In 2019, then 13-year-old Bruna Pontes excelled in an international astronomy project in Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and received a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) certificate. For her performance, she was nominated to receive a special award. In her honor, the asteroid 2013 EG44 was named "Brunapontes." Pontes entered the history of astronomy as one of the youngest people in the world to lend her name to an asteroid. For students interested in adventure and service, Union College's International Rescue and Relief program tries to do just that. The program focuses on teaching rescue skills and community development practices around the world. Visit https://www.adventistmission.org/ for more information. For more news and current affairs within the Adventist Community, go to Adventist News Network. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gejQfssS4eA