This week on ANN As Mozambique mourns hundreds of recent deaths from COVID-19, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), is helping 1,000 of the country's most vulnerable families protect themselves against the virus and maintain their livelihoods despite pandemic disruptions. According to the World Health Organization, Mozambique has experienced its worst spike in coronavirus cases and deaths this summer. To respond to the crisis, ADRA will distribute hygiene kits containing masks, hand sanitizers, and liquid soap to vulnerable families and individuals in the southern part of the country. The Health and Wellness Department of Koiari Park English Church on the Pacific Adventist University campus has been actively driving the health message to its church membership and the surrounding community. A recent week of health emphasis featured lectures presented by Adventist medical doctor Robert Jones and several other wellness activities such as medical checks for vendors and customers at the famous PAU Sunday Market. The team of around sixty people, formed by nurses, health counselors, a medical doctor, and other volunteers, spent an entire day at the village, where people had their blood sugar levels and blood pressure tested for possible signs of hypertension and diabetes. In the Wenang District of Manado, Indonesia, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is starting a new "Drop and Grab initiative." Adventist church in Wenang is located near a public transportation hub where people come and go. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused people in the community to lose their jobs and the ability to have a decent meal every day. Wenang church members aim to minister to this community by providing free lunch packs every Friday. Members visit the church to "drop" food items they want to share, and the church makes these food items available for "grabs" to the public. On the island of Anguilla, Seventh-day Adventist leaders and church members took part in a recent groundbreaking ceremony that will see a larger, more modern, and inclusive worship center. This new building will replace the oldest church structure on the island. The Long Bay church was destroyed by Hurricane Irma in September 2017, scattering dozens of members to worship in different, smaller locations. Members are eager to move into the construction phase of the new facility, says Lester Jules, pastor of the 77-member Long Bay congregation. With pledges, church members expect the church building to be completed by 2025. In the interior of Acre, colporteur Juneisson Mota dedicates his life to bringing the light of the gospel to isolated communities through the ministry of the printed page. This is a story where love for God, people, and mission transforms realities. The South America Division sent this report. Don't miss the latest news and current events. Visit Adventist News Network for more info and inspiring stories within the Adventist community. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V178OLBWTI

In celebration of the Family Togetherness Day of Prayer (September 11), Adventist Family Ministries has prepared a Family Togetherness Day of Prayer Global Broadcast for people worldwide to join the celebration. This inspiring program focused on prayer will be hosted by Dr. Willie and Elaine Oliver with stories and prayers shared by Family Ministries leaders and others involved in the I Will Go with My Family Strategic Focus; inspiring music from around the world and special participation by Pastor Ted and Nancy Wilson and Pastor Geoffrey and Nakku Mbwana making this celebration an unforgettable experience. Visit our website to download resources that go along with this event and the Family Togetherness Week of Prayer (September 5-11): https://family.adventist.org/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=referal&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=resource-download Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bivabIV8InM

The Family Togetherness Week of Prayer culminates this Sabbath, September 11. As such, it is a special day to pray for marriages, families, and relationships. More fervent prayer is needed as marriages and families have come under increasing attack from society and within the home. One of the threats is the possibility of divorce. Based on estimated research, 40-50% of first marriages in the US will end in permanent separation. The same case goes with 60-65% of second marriages. Concerning this, the reported factors include lack of commitment, infidelity, and conflict and argument. Fortunately, there are ways to strengthen marriages and families. Pastor Ted and his wife, Nancy, share some of these in this episode. The first is to have a commitment to God and your spouse. In particular, remain connected to the Lord. By then, He guides and gives you the wisdom to manifest that commitment to your spouse. With this, you endure together through thick and thin. Short-term problems won't threaten your marriage. The second is to have clear and thoughtful communication and effective conflict resolution. Specifically, understand one another's perspective by sharing your thoughts and listening to what your spouse says. In connection to this, The Adventist Home has a counsel on page 106. It says, "Neither husband nor wife is to make a plea for rulership. The Lord has laid down the principle that is to guide in this matter. The husband is to cherish his wife as Christ cherishes the church. And the wife is to respect and love her husband. Both are to cultivate the spirit of kindness, being determined never to grieve or injure the other." As such, God doesn't delight seeing you end up in aggression or violence. Instead, love and be kind to one another, as said in Ephesians 4:31-32. "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." Moreover, faithfulness is another asset in strengthening your relationship. Support, trust, and care for each other. Stay intimate. In addition, spend time together as a couple and a family. It helps build a strong bond and friendship among your members. Take time to have wholesome recreation together. Eat meals together. Also, have family worship. Sing and pray together. As the old proverb goes, "the family that prays together stays together." To sum it all up, stay committed to God and your spouse. Then, communicate thoughtfully and clearly. Also, remain faithful to one another. Support each other. Lastly, spend quality time together. And don't forget to put God at the center. In closing, ponder upon 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg6k8nnQsP4

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This week on ANN. Hurricane Iota destroyed homes and businesses on the small Colombian islands of San Andres, Providencia, and Santa Catalina. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Colombia continues to provide assistance. ADRA delivered 90 new computers to the Ministry of Education for use in five schools located in San Andres and Providencia. The new technology will benefit nearly 1,000 pupils enrolled in the designated schools. In addition, the Adventist school in San Andres received ten new computers from ADRA. In Serbia, up to 15,000 people in the Western Balkans will receive health checkups, hygiene services, and COVID-19 information through the “Leave No One Behind” project, coordinated by ADRA in Serbia. ADRA expects to provide about 4,000 free medical checkups in Serbia, Albania, and Bulgaria over the next nine months. For those in need of additional treatment, the medical will refer patients to a private health care practice, accompany them to appointments, and cover the costs of doctor visits and any needed medications and tests. In addition to offering health care, ADRA will continue providing essential hygiene services to people without a home through the Drumodom, an adapted bus that travels throughout Belgrade. It gives the homeless a place to use the toilet, take a shower, get a shower haircut, and wash their laundry. Loma Linda University Health has been included on Newsweek’s list of America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers 2021. The award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world’s leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list was announced on August 25 and can be viewed on Newsweek’s website. Loma Linda University Health’s multidisciplinary approach offers collaborative care to bring the best practices to patients. AdventHealth partners with a clinic in Florida to help provide services for people who do not have insurance. Tom Johnson and the team show how AdventHealth serves this community. Impact Hope is a non-profit that provides Rwandan refugees with an Adventist-Christian education. When co-founders Mindy and Hans Thygeson learned about the dire refugee situation in Rwanda in 2012, they determined that a high school education was a way out for many of these refugees. Impact Hope was formed to sponsor and support refugee students to attend Christian boarding schools in Rwanda. King’s Kids, a children’s TV program launched by Adventist Media Australia in response to the 2020 lockdowns, is now broadcast in more than 70 countries worldwide. It has become an international hit over the past 12 months as it has filled a gap in quality Christian TV content for children. Hope Channel South Pacific director Pastor Wayne Boehm said the program was designed to assist and minister to families during the first extended COVID-19 lockdowns last year. It has continued to be produced weekly since then. The United Nations Youth conference assembles young leaders worldwide to discuss their opinions and solutions to global issues. Letesha Whyte, a student of Northern Caribbean University and president of the National Police Youth Club Movement in Jamaica, was chosen to represent her country at two United Nations Youth conferences. After conversations with experts from the Jamaica Association for the Deaf, the young president realized that police stations were not equipped to handle the sensitive nature of the deaf community. She also found out that Caribbean-based information on the deaf is not readily available. Whyte is committed to using her position to change lives. She was moved to help this vulnerable yet overlooked group. The Police Youth Club was awarded a grant of $10,000 US dollars to execute the “Safe and Sound JA” initiative, which aims to reduce the communication barriers between the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the deaf community. It Is Written welcomes Wes Peppers as the ministry’s new evangelism director, who accepted a call to serve as the ministerial and evangelism director for the Pennsylvania Conference. Peppers began his new position in August. Peppers joins It Is Written from the Michigan Conference, where he served for ten years as a pastor, personal ministries director, evangelism coordinator, and associate ministerial secretary. Peppers also has experience in international media evangelism from his time with Amazing Facts. Don’t miss the latest news and current events. Visit Adventist News Network for more news and inspiring stories within the Adventist community. ANN site – https://adventist.news/
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Did you know that dirt is important? In this video, learn its function for growth. You don’t want to get your hands dirty, don’t you? Neither do you want dirt on our clothes. More so, you hate it when people “throw dirt” on your name. But come to think of plants. Without the soil, you can’t plant a seed. Hence, it won’t grow. But when it does, it needs air and water to get light. As an implication, air represents prayer while water symbolizes the Holy Spirit. The dirt pertains to the troubles coming our way. They push us toward the light which is Christ. Through the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit, we grow in Him daily. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUZ0grv0LBE