Stories & Commentaries

After only three weeks in Peru, Cristina and some of the other volunteers attended the funeral of a local church member. She wasn’t sure how her presence could be much of a support for a family she didn’t know, but God used her willingness in a surprising way.

The role of media ministries in the North American Division (NAD) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is to create a flood of interest through their programming, station placement, and their weekly offers. The main role of Adventist Information Ministry (AIM), headquartered on the campus of Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, is to collect those interests and “upgrade” as many as they can to pass on to the local church, often for personal connection and Bible study. AIM sometimes learns what happens with those it connects to local churches. Here are a few of those stories, shared during ministry meetings in August.

The church plays an important role in creating a safe community and an environment in which domestic violence, or intimate partner violence (IPV), is addressed, not covered up. An appropriate understanding of Scripture is also protective. Local churches must become aware of resources in their communities designed to help both victims and perpetrators.

Charline Etienne’s daughter was a kindergartner at a Miami learning center when she began having problems in school. Etienne turned to a pediatrician who tested the girl and diagnosed her with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). From there, Etienne embarked on a long, tiresome journey to find the resources her daughter needed to thrive academically. 

Wow, what time is it? It seems that just a short time ago I was the youngest principal in the room, and later the youngest conference associate superintendent. Wasn’t it only yesterday that I was looking forward to trying to implement change and innovation with the Adventist school system?

Sixteen young Walla Walla University students and pastoral interns learned something life-changing through their evangelistic trip to Retalhuleu, Guatemala, during spring break, March 22-April 1, 2018. They all knew it in theory, but for the first time some of them directly experienced how eternal decisions are made when the Spirit moves.

Human trafficking is believed to be the third-largest criminal activity in the world, and has no demographic restrictions, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “There are horrific stories,” said attorney Amanda Rodriguez. “But [it’s inspiring] to see the strength of survivors. It’s made my faith stronger. ... I know this is my purpose and I know God has led me on this path.”

Isaac, born Dyirengiro Amini Byiringiro, and his family had to flee their home in the People's Republic of the Congo when he was just 5 years old. Isaac, his parents, and sisters moved into a Rwandan refugee camp, where they’d live for 20 years. In the refugee camp, Isaac and his extended family discovered an Adventist church and began attending each Sabbath. Soon, the majority of the family were baptized into the faith. After the decades of life spent as refugees in Rwanda, Isaac and his family were able to immigrate to the United States and settle in the Denver, Colorado, area.

Sitting with my family on a sand dune at the beach in South Haven, Michigan, with Gatorade in one hand, glow stick in the other, I watched the 4th of July fireworks display. I wondered, as one of the shells exploded revealing a smiley face in the sky, what it might have been like to be Francis Key, watching from the water, as the British bombarded Fort McHenry in Baltimore. 

During the appeal at the close of his message, Pastor Allen was thrilled to see a thirty-something man rise from his seat and make his way to the front of the worship center. The event was especially emotional because the pastor knew the backstory. Two years before, the man — we'll call him Irwin — had begun to attend the church. Sporadically at first, then with regularity. But then he disappeared.