5 July, 2017

Two US Adventist Hospitals Now Offer World’s Smallest Pacemaker

Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center and Florida Hospital New Smyrna—two Seventh-day Adventist hospitals in the US State of Florida—now offer the world’s smallest pacemaker for patients with bradycardia, a medical condition characterized by a slow or irregular heartbeat. Called the Micra® Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS), this new type of heart device provides patients with the most advanced pacing technology at one-tenth the size of a traditional pacemaker.

30 June, 2017

In North Mexico, Church Unveils Statue to Point to End-Time Prophecy

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Tijuana, Mexico, unveiled a sculpture representing King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream as described in Daniel 2 during a special art expo event last month at the “Casa de las Flores” center in the Xochicalco University in Tijuana, Baja California. The 4.5 meter-high statue, which included the four imperial governments of ancient Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grece and Rome, was created by Alfonso López.

29 June, 2017

World Church Leaders Learn About Evangelism and Growth in Inter-America

Top Seventh-day Adventist leaders from around the world church recently toured five major regions across the Inter-American Division (IAD), to witness evangelism initiatives in action, learn about church growth, and look in on the community impact taking place across the territory. The 10-day tour brought executive secretaries from the Adventist world church headquarters and from the 12 division headquarters around the globe to visit Miami, Jamaica, Panama, Haiti, and Mexico.

28 June, 2017

ADRA Taps Technology to Provide Water to 1.5 Million

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International announced a new partnership with global water technology leader Grundfos last week, in a move to provide access to clean water to 1.5 million people in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and South Pacific over the next five years. The partnership aims to improve and save lives by using renewable energy and water innovation technologies that provides more efficient and sustainable water access than more traditional methods.

27 June, 2017

First Grade Teacher Creates a Praying Classroom in Puerto Rico

Little Nancy raised her hand when teacher Maria de la Paz Rodriguez asked whether any first graders had a prayer request at the Seventh-day Adventist school in Puerto Rico. “Please pray for my dog,” the girl said. “We can include your dog in our prayer today,” Maria said. After hearing all the children’s prayer requests, Maria prayed for Nancy’s dog. Then she went to a piece of paper in the corner of the classroom chalkboard. The paper had two columns on it: “Reasons to Pray” and “Reasons to Say Thank You.” Maria took a black marker and wrote “Nancy’s dog” under the column for “Prayer Requests.”

27 June, 2017

A Church Leader in Jamaica Says Nothing is More Powerful Than a Good Example

When Adrian Cotterell enrolled in 11th grade at a Seventh-day Adventist boarding school in Jamaica, he had no interest in Christianity. He didn’t believe in the soon coming of Jesus, and thought Adventists especially were foolish for worshiping on Saturday and refusing to eat pork. Adrian chose West Indies High School on a hilltop in the central city Mandeville because he thought it was like other boarding schools where students could have parties.

26 June, 2017

Adventist Institute to Launch Initiative to Reach the Community

You would never guess it by looking at him, but Johnny An, a gentle-spirited nursing student at Weimar Institute, was kicked out of his last school. It wasn’t low grades or bad behavior that forced the only child from Incheon, Korea, out of school. It was just the opposite: his exceptional leadership skills and his commitment to biblical truth got him in trouble. While attending Christian International School in Korea, An was president of the student body and the choir leader. He also began studying the Bible with a pastor at the local Seventh-day Adventist Church, where he learned exciting ideas that he couldn’t keep to himself.

23 June, 2017

Honored by Britain’s Queen and Heaven’s King in Belize

The most exciting day in the young life of Leticia August was when her mother sent her from Guatemala to live with her grandmother in neighboring Belize. Her parents were staunch Sunday-keepers, and Leticia was tired of being told that she couldn’t behave like the other girls. “When I moved, I said, ‘Yes this is it!’” Leticia said. Leticia started going to dances and parties. She felt like free at last. But she worried nearly every day, “What will happen to me if I die tonight?”

22 June, 2017

First Café Church Opens In New York City

In upper Manhattan, the MyGen Seventh-day Adventist Church recently opened its doors for its first official service. Upon entering the church, it becomes immediately apparent that this is not a conventional church. MyGen church is Greater New York Conference’s first Seventh-day Adventist “café church.” Instead of pews, round tables fill the space and worship is led from a stage platform. The members come dressed formally or informally, the music is lively, the service is interactive, and Sabbath School happens over lunch following the worship service. According to the organizers, that is the goal.

22 June, 2017

Collaborative Efforts Result in 1,500 Baptisms in El Salvador

More than 1,500 people were baptized at the end of “Impacto Salvador,” a series of evangelistic meetings in El Salvador, last March. The meetings were a joint endeavor with the Atlantic Union Conference church region in the US, under the direction of Dionisio Olivo, Atlantic Union Conference Hispanic and Portuguese ministries vice president, and the El Salvador Union Mission. Atlantic Union officers, departmental directors, conference administrators, and pastors all participated in the meetings as they presented evangelistic messages simultaneously at 38 different churches in and around the capital city of San Salvador.

21 June, 2017

Former L.A. Gangster Helps Run Adventist Hospital in Mexico

Robert Gonzalez Medina liked to tease his mother. Whenever gunshots were fired at their home, he would cry out, “Mom! Mom! They hit me!” Mother was a good sport, and she played along with Robert’s game. “Oh no!” she said every time. “What will we do?” But the gang violence was no joking matter. Robert grew up in a violent Los Angeles neighborhood. When he was 5 years old, his older brothers joined a street gang. People from other gangs drove by their house and shot at it, trying to scare his brothers.

20 June, 2017

Adventists Respond to London Building Fire

The scenes at Grenfell Estate were both horrific and numbing. Grenfell Tower after the fire. Image from Wikimedia Commons It was about 4:30 pm on Wednesday, June 14, almost 14 hours since the start of the fire at the apartment complex in London, and one could still see the smoke and smell the burning as the 24-story block of apartments continued to consume any outward visible structure of the building. The atmosphere was still of amazement, shock and despair as people that were either apartment residents, or those who had to be evacuated nearby, sat along the concrete pavement in dismay. Some were being comforted by other people present in the area, while others were just staring in stark bewilderment.