Stories & Commentaries

While assisting with mobile distribution of goods in Maurepas, La., in early October, a contact from the Indian Nation reached out to Arkansas-Louisiana Conference ACS director Lavida Whitson, asking if we might be able to help them. During the recovery effort after Hurricane Katrina, ACS assisted the United Houma Nation for many months and, based on this history, they were now asking if we might be able to assist during Hurricane Ida recovery.

As we move closer to the enditnow Summit On Abuse in November, we pray that our members will purpose in their hearts to stand for the vulnerable among us. And may we all practice compassion and loving support through acts of kindness and familiarizing ourselves with proper procedures for prevention, reporting and healing in our churches.

Preparing for a new baby is stressful. So is planning for the approach of a dangerous storm. Lindsay Friedmann recently had to do both — at the same time.

For Heather Chirinos, a recent nursing graduate and former student nurse association president at Southwestern Adventist University, her involvement in campus life helped shaped her values. Learn more in this interview.

The clock’s hands were almost reaching 5:30 p.m. when the last call of the day came straight to my queue. "Why me?" I thought, a little bit annoyed. Modulating my voice to sound professional, I picked up the phone and answered: “Good afternoon, Pacific Press, how may I help you?” A woman’s voice on the other end of the line immediately said: “Buenas tardes, ¿me escucha?” Not for a moment did she ever ask if I spoke her language or understood what she was saying. She just assumed I did. And I followed along.

War is a tragedy — the loss of life, displacement of people, destruction of the environment, disease and other aftereffects make it more than a devasting event. As we commemorate the twentieth anniversary of 9/11 and reflect on the recent withdrawal of the U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, ending the nation’s longest war, one might wonder if this could possibly have been the war to end all wars.

As we remember how life in the United States and around the world changed 20 years ago when 3,000 lost their lives in terrorist acts on September 11, 2001, I urge our members in the North American Division to pray for those who were impacted by these events and lost loved ones on that day.

Tim Kosaka, director of marketing and public relations at Southwestern Adventist University (SWAU), never saw himself living and working in Texas. His prayer, though, was that God would lead him to a place where his faith would be strengthened, with a church community in which he could serve.

The Marshall Islands got a little brighter this summer with the arrival of the first Marshallese GLOW tract. These pocket-sized pamphlets attract readers by offering information on relevant topics like health, relationships, and Biblical truths. The Marshallese tract marks the first one published in the local island language.

The political and social events of the year 2020 have once again pushed unresolved issues around race relations in the United States to center stage in our national and international conversations. The video-recorded murder of George Floyd by a police officer on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, represented for millions a tipping point, one that elicited an outcry by leaders who highlighted historical inequity and called for social justice across a diverse range of political, commercial, academic, and ecclesiastical institutions.