By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Royston Philbert/IAD News Staff)

Twenty-one months after the Ephesus Adventist Church on St. Maarten was destroyed by Category 5 Hurricane Irma, the church opened its doors to members and friends for a special celebration on June 2, 2019. More than 300 members were seated in the newly refurbished church building for the rededication service, which was led by Pastor Desmond James, president of the North Caribbean Conference. “We all know what happened here two years ago and rebuilding a church is like rebuilding a nation,”…

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By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Angela Arias)

South-central ​​Chile residents shuddered in the wake of a tornado that swept through Los Angeles, followed by a waterspout near ​​Talcahuano and Concepción on Thursday, May 30, and Friday, May 31. Nearly 600 homes were affected, according to the latest balance made by the Minister of Housing in Chile, Guillermo Rolando. The Adventist Church in the region immediately rallied to action through the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Chile.
Several volunteers from the Bio-Bio…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Andrew McChesney)

The four Papaioannou missionary children wanted a pet for a long time.
They begged for a cat or a dog when the family from their homeland in Greece in Europe to work far away in the Philippines in Asia.
Father was busy teaching at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, and Mother was caring for the four children and studying for a master’s degree in education. Besides, the parents weren’t all that interested in having a pet at home. They didn’t want to feed a cat or clean…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Nathan Brown)

“When we arrived at Christmas Island, we were so happy,” Kate recalls. “I just wanted to kiss the ground.”
For a few moments, it felt like freedom, safety, a new beginning, a whole new set of opportunities. But the photo taken in those moments portrays a different reality, an ordeal only just beginning and a nation largely uninterested in their story.
It was April 2, 2013. The photo showed Kate and her husband Eric being frisked by Customs officers, while their two-and-a-half-year-old son,…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (ADRA Serbia)

ADRA`s publication “Room for Women” is a place where voices of refugee and migrant girls and women are heard.
Today we join with ADRA in commemorating World Refugee Day. The number of people fleeing their home around the world is increasing every year, leaving them without home, security or ways to meet their basic needs. Girls and women among them make an especially vulnerable group and demand our additional attention while responding to their needs.
On behalf of ADRA Serbia, we are proud to…

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By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Eber Pola)

In honor of World Environment Day, elementary students of the Adventist School of Porto Feliz,in the interior of São Paulo, held a sustainability fair in the town square. They wanted to raise awareness of the importance of caring for the environment and conscious discarding.
Service started early and residents lined up to dispose of plastic bottles, used batteries, aluminum cans and other recyclables. After disposing of them, each visitor received a voucher that was exchanged for organic…

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By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Kawusu David, communication director, North East Nigeria Conference)

During a thanksgiving service organized by the beneficiaries and hosted by the Seventh-day Adventist church in Gada Bivu Jos, group leader Sylvester Dalong shared they were initially adhoc staff with the Ministry of Lands and Survey for Plateau State, but the State government approved their permanent employment in April 2014. Unfortunately, the succeeding administration terminated their appointment in 2015 without any justifiable reason. “By the intervention of Yohanna Manoah, an elder in the…

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By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Immanuel Ogwal, Communication Director, Uganda Union Mission)

President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Uganda and Board Chairman for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Uganda, Daniel Matte, applauded the leadership of General Yoweri Museveni, president of the Republic of Uganda, for opening the borders of Uganda to those who have fled into the country.
Matte was speaking at a ceremony held during World Refugee Sabbath. The event was held in an unprecedented location—a refugee settlement. Matte was accompanied at the ceremony by…

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By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Orion Hunter, Adventist News Network)

World Refugee Day, recognized on June 20, is a day dedicated to raising awareness for the displacement of families from their home countries due to civil unrest and conflict. It is an occasion that educates the public on this global concern, creates a motion to leverage political will and offers resources to help solve the issue. It is also a chance to reinforce the achievements of humanity, uniting people who are demonstrating support and finding those who would like to start doing so.
The…

Source:: sda website

“If cancer hasn’t beaten me, neither will hunger,” said Norbis Sánchez before leaving her native Venezuela for Colombia to get away from the economic, social, and political strife plaguing her home country.
Sánchez, a Seventh-day Adventist, now resides in Cúcuta, Colombia, a city which shares a border with Venezuela, a border she and her family crossed with no money or Passports.
“My passport is the Lord,” she said in front of more than 550 Venezuelans who were gathered on May 19, 2019, at the…

Source:: sda website