This week on ANN Over the weekend of December 10th, deadly tornadoes tore across six US states. More than 88 people have been confirmed dead and it is expected that number will rise. North American Division Adventist Community Services (ACS) has been working to keep up with the latest situation in the US states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi. Assessment is taking place at present and three of the North American Division conferences, or administrative offices, are actively putting together their ACS teams. The North American Division is supporting these efforts and has been in direct contact with conferences in that area and nearby: Kentucky-Tennessee, South Central, Arkansas-Louisiana, and Georgia-Cumberland conferences. An Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Community Center was inaugurated in Nouakchott, the capital of the West African country of Mauritania. The ceremony took place on November 2 in El Mina. The new center was built with 34,000 plastic bottles filled with sand. The thermoregulatory building has three floors and was made with concern for environmental protection and recycling of plastic waste. The bottles were collected by community young people. Some of them were brought because they had become a precious commodity. The cost of the project was around $ 117, 000. It was co-financed by ADRA International and ADRA Belgium. This initiative is part of ADRA’s capacity building activities through education and training in small trades. In Brazil, representatives of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) arrived in southern Bahia on Friday, December 10, to assess flood damage and initiate emergency response measures for 24 towns in the region. Since December 7, torrential rains and the collapse of a dam in the interior of Minas Gerais have contributed to widespread problems in southern Bahia. An extratropical cyclone that occurred on December 9 increased the damage, leading the Government to declare a state of public calamity in the territory. ADRA director for the state of Bahia, Leonardo Mendes, announced their first priority will be the distribution of drinking water to residents. ADRA International is also mobilizing resources that will be used in the response, based on the diagnosis and more immediate needs of families affected by the disaster. AdventHealth provides health screenings to student athletes in several of its US markets, including in Volusia County, Florida, where screenings have helped identify and address risk factors like cardiac conditions. Check out the difference it made in the life of one student athlete, Ethan Piazza. More from AdventHealth: (link) March 19 is Global Youth Day. It’s a time when young people from all over the world take time to “Be the Sermon” in their communities. This year’s theme is “Loving the Forgotten.” Check out for more news updates and inspiring stories within the Adventist community. Visit Adventist News Network Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLOhuJ54Jkc

Have you been in a situation where you didn't know what to do? May it be concerning work, family, relationship, and the like, you just needed clear direction in life. Did you know there is a key to being able to act wisely at all times? In this video, Pastor Ted Wilson would like to share it with you. It is found in the Testimonies to the Church, volume 5, page 43. It says: "Those who study the Bible, counsel with God, and rely upon Christ will be enabled to act wisely at all times and under all circumstances." What a wonderful promise, isn't it? But it involves conditions to fulfill. First, study the Bible. It doesn't say "read the Bible" but "study" it. It's that important because by studying the Word, we find God's knowledge. But we must search for it. God says in Proverbs 2:1-6, "If you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding." Set aside time to listen to God through His Word. Accept it with an open mind and heart. It's advisable to begin with the book of Proverbs as it is a treasure chest filled with practical gems of wisdom. Also, its 31 chapters fit the 31 days of the month for daily reading. For more information on how to study the Bible, Pastor Ted encourages you to read the Seventh-day Adventist Church's "Methods of Bible Study" document at https://adventistbiblicalresearch.org/materials/methods-of-bible-study/. Second, counsel with God through the privilege of prayer. It says "counsel" which means not only speaking but also speaking. And just as we cannot rush through Bible study, neither can we rush through prayer. In Steps to Christ, page 97, we are warned to not "take counsel with our doubts and fears, or try to solve everything that we cannot see clearly…But if we come to God, feeling helpless and dependent, as we really are, and in humble trusting faith make known our wants to Him whose knowledge is infinite…He can and will attend to our cry, and will let light shine into our hearts. Through sincere prayer, we are brought into connection with the mind of the Infinite." Through sincere prayer, we are brought into connection with the mind of God. Mark 1:35 says, "Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed." Third, rely upon Christ. It involves acknowledging that we can do nothing by ourselves. As Isaiah 53:6 states, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone to his own way…" but praise God, through Christ we can be "more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded," wrote the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans 8:37, "that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." To achieve this absolute reliance, we must stop relying on ourselves. Surrender our will to God, saying, "Lord, 'not my will, but Yours be done'" (Luke 22:42). By doing so, God will work in marvelous ways. "When in humble faith we rely on Christ as our sufficiency, our strength, our all and in all, then it is that the power of God rests upon our work" (The Gospel Herald, March 1, 1901, par. 9). Again, "those who study the Bible, counsel with God, and rely upon Christ will be enabled to act wisely at all times and under all circumstances" (Testimonies to the Church, volume 5, page 43). May God encourage and strengthen you as you claim these promises as your own. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4ymV0n9Jt8

Dating is hard! What kind of person are we looking for and how can we be open to meeting someone? This week is a “girls chat” but we hope even the guys will stay with us! We talk about dating–what it’s like, what we are looking for and some of our red flags.This is just the start of a conversation we’re going to have with women and men. If you have questions you’d like to have answered–ask in the comments. We look forward to hearing from you! —
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As we approach the Christmas season, we learn about the story of Ruth, a Moabite widow whose kind gestures and loyalty to her family led her to become King David's grandmother and, eventually part of the lineage of Jesus. Ruth is one of the Bible's most bold and courageous characters. A woman who left her future in God’s hands. Her life's struggles were not easy, but she faithfully trusted God to overcome them. Ruth’s husband, brother-in-law and father-in-law all died. She and her sister-in-law decided to return home to Israel with their mother-in-law, Naomi. But Naomi tried to persuade them to return to their homeland for a better life. While her sister-in-law turned backl, Ruth showed her commitment by choosing to remain with her mother-in-law rather than returning to her own home and family. She took care of and supported Naomi throughout their lives, demonstrating genuine loyalty. God rewarded her dedication by providing her with a new and better life with a man named Boaz. Watch the video to learn how Ruth demonstrated her loyalty and faithfulness to her family, which led to the best life God had planned for her. To follow our official social media accounts, just follow the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAdventistChurch
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#SamNeves Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h-l4UGJlE4

This week on ANN A new animated film by Hope Discovery has won Best Animation at the 10th Delhi Shorts International Film Festival 2021. The film is a project between Speranta TV and the Seventh-day Adventist Church and explores the Great Controversy in narrative form. The project’s goal is to make the Adventist worldview and end-time message accessible to seekers and members alike. The festival had more than 1,300 films registered and, of that, 40 or 50 films were selected. The film has also won Best Animation Feature at the Christian Georgia Film Festival, and an Award of Excellence in the Christian and Sound Editing/Sound Mixing categories at the Accolade Global Film Competition. The North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church recently sponsored its annual enditnow Summit on Abuse. It featured professional presenting on support for children and their families, legal obligations for church members and staff, the threat of pornography, and the dynamics of power and control. The enditnow initiative began in 2009 through the partnership of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency and the General Conference Women’s Ministries Department to stop violence against women around the world. A trained teacher, Márcia do Santos, has dedicated her time to a different kind of class. For more than 12 years, she has been leading a Bible class in Campo Grande, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In the space prepared to receive students attached to the local Seventh-day Adventist church, many stories of transformation have taken place and more than 80 people have been baptized through this work. One of the people reached by her work was Vladimir de Paula. He and his wife learned about the class, attended, and were baptized. Today, inspired by his teacher, Vladimir has also become a Bible instructor. Adventists throughout Northern Asia are finding ways to spread a message of hope throughout this territory. Find out how you can contribute through this quarter’s 13th Sabbath Offering on December 25. More from Adventist Mission: (link) At Union College in the United States, you can get a degree in Rescue and Relief—a focus on training domestic and first responders like paramedics or international development workers. Each student spends their last semester overseas working in clinics and practicing responder medical services and disaster response. Adventist Mission has more: (https://www.adventistmission.org/) Check out for more news updates and inspiring stories within the Adventist community. Visit Adventist News Network. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7Uf4EAX1x8