By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Paul Rubessa is CEO of ADRA Australia)

One word that has been bouncing around in my mind for the past few weeks is hope.
While 2020 has certainly brought its fair share of uncertainty, doubt and fear, I come back to the calming power of hope.
Jesus often spoke about hope and His words hold a special kind of meaning right now: “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:3, ESV).
I truly believe it is because of His overcoming that we can have hope, despite our current circumstances.
…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Isabella Mendes)

A generous donation from ENGIE Brasil means 150 families in the northern region of Bahia will have food and protective masks, highly necessary supplies during the current coronavirus pandemic.
The donated goods—purchased with a $1,200 (US) gift to the Adventist Solidarity Action unit—were distributed at the Umburanas Seventh-day Adventist Church, an outpost in a city of 17,000.
ASA turned the money into the food baskets and supplies, which were distributed to vulnerable families in the area….

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News)

Seventh-day Adventist leaders, staff and their families at the Inter-American Division headquarter office concluded a week of special emphasis on prayer on Sabbath, June 13, 2020. The more than 70 workers employed by the IAD in Miami, Florida, and their families spent time in prayer and fellowship—all from the comfort of their homes.
This is the first time that the annual week of spiritual emphasis was held via Zoom, due to the current quarantine regulations, but one that proved to be filled…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Daniel Gonçalves)

Seventh-day Adventists in the Santa Catarina state of Brazil won’t let a mere global pandemic stop their quest to help people live free of smoking: the University Adventist Church in Florianópolis, the state capital, recently produced a five-day stop smoking clinic online, and the impact was life-changing.
Here’s an example: 57-year-old Zelene has been smoking for about 40 years, and now smokes about 12 cigarettes a day. She prayed for an answer, and through a neighbor, she learned of the…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Emilly de Souza)

After 126 years in the Republic of Chile, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is known—there are 104,000 members in a nation of approximately 19 million people—but its multifaceted work in sharing the Gospel could be better understood. A just-concluded series of programs for church-owned Nuevo Tempo Network was produced to do just that.
“On the Gospel Route” concluded its first season of 24 episodes. The goal was to publicize the work carried out by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Chile,…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Jamaica Union Staff/IAD News Staff)

Although the government of Jamaica has eased the restrictions on the number of people allowed to gather in one location, most of the Seventh-day Adventist membership on the island continues to worship virtually.
Since its first positive case of the coronavirus in March, the government of Jamaica imposed several restrictions on places of mass gathering, which caused most of the more than 750 Adventist congregations, as well as those of other religious groups, to be closed.
On May 16, 2020,…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Jefferson Paradello)

Recognizing the pressures created for families during the COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns, the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s South American Division held an online family ministry series aimed at helping people cope with challenges during the period.
Along with the demands of the lockdown, other problems now plague some families: unemployment, interruption of schooling, decreased income, and strained relationships. Pastor Alacy Barbosa, divisional Family Ministries director, spoke with ASN…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Sheyla Paiva)

Mariza was devastated. Her son was in prison and it was difficult to accept his absence. The only thing left was to be strong and support her child. One Saturday, she arranged to visit her son, as she usually did.
Upon arriving at the prison, Mariza observed some people gathered in the visitor’s pavilion. She walked over and asked who they were, and what activity they were doing. They told Mariza that they were part of a group of women who met every Saturday to visit, study the Bible and that…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Alexis Villar)

Seventh-day Adventists in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital city, have prepared a mobile laundry to assist COVID-19 victims housed in a temporary care facility. In recent days, there’s been an abrupt increase in infections, particularly in the metropolitan area.
Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Argentina has already deployed a mobile laundry service and disinfection station to assist those housed in the health center located in Tecnópolis, Buenos Aires.
“It is a job that has…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Park JiEun)

Due to all the chaos of evacuating after the eruption of Taal Volcano in the Philippines in January 2020, it completely slipped my mind that we had to take part in S.U.P.E.R Training.
S.U.P.E.R. Training stands for: “Spiritual Unity & Physical Endurance Reinforcement.” The annual training for the missionaries emphasizes the importance of teamwork, partnership, intimacy with God, patience, a never-give-up attitude and the spirit of obedience.
I had heard so many horrendous rumors about…

Source:: sda website