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| | Donna Jackson_ Ministerial Spouse leader of the North American Division |
From the pen
of Donna Jackson...
Friends, how did you react when you first heard of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan? Little children dangerously affected for the rest of their lives .... If it moved you to want to do more than feel pity, join other ministerial spouses next month and be the hands and feet of Jesus to people in Flint. Check out the flyer below and the info article and please prayerfully consider coming to Flint. We want you! Flint needs you!
Another way some ministerial spouses will be giving to their community this spring will be at the Los Angeles Your Best Pathway to Health April 27-29. In Terri Saelee's article Reaching Refugees in this issue, she shares about another community project that the NAD Ministerial Spouses Association is supporting - this one for refugees at the LA Pathways. To volunteer at this mega, exciting event, go to www.PathwaytoHealthVolunteer.org
God bless you richly and cause your love for Him to be made tangible this spring.
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Linnea Torkelsen, Ministerial Spouse leader of the North Pacific Union Conference
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My Favorite Things
It's been 50 years since I first saw The Sound of Music as a teenager. The Austrian scenery was spectacular, the actors, I thought, were wonderful, but it was the music that stuck in my head. I find myself humming, "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. . ." as I am cleaning out my office for the last time-retirement is here. In sorting through files, I'm finding reminders of experiences and special people and miracles that have touched my life during the last two decades of working at Upper Columbia Academy (UCA) as the Alumni and Development Director. A letter from an alumnus: This letter explained that she had been a farm girl coming to this rural Adventist boarding school. She was so hungry for a real chicken dinner that she stole one from the school flock, cooked it, and ate it, and she'd felt bad for decades. She sent a donation to "pay for it." I thanked the Lord for the opportunity to write her a thank you note and to remind her that forgiveness is a gift of God that we all need. Read More
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Joanne and Jos� Cortes, Jr. discus some of the ways that they're discipling their children.
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Ministry to Refugees Fulfills Childhood Passion
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Terri Saelee, NAD Refugee/Immigrant Ministries Leader and Shirley Finneman
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"You are going to do what?! Why?!" was Shirley Finneman's astonished response to Mike McKenzie, administrator of the City of Battle Creek Emergency Management/ Homeland Security.
"I am going to teach the Community Emergency Response Training to a group of refugees from Myanmar. It will be my first time to speak with an interpreter. You know there are about 2,000 Myanmar refugees in the city!"
"Myanmar... Oh, you mean Burma!" Finneman said. The word "Burma" brought a flood of memories to her. "'Don't you know? Haven't you heard? Didn't any one ever tell you?' rang in my ears. These were my father's favorite expressions to us children as we grew up, echoes of Eric B. Hare's stories fresh from the jungles of Burma. These stories molded my life and, at age seven, I determined to be a missionary," Finneman stated. About 60 years later, she is in the exciting position of starting a foreign mission station in the field of Battle Creek through Adventist Community Services. Read More
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Reaching Refugees
Mission Trips for Ministerial Spouses/Families
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Terri Saelee, NAD Refugee & Immigrant Ministries
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"I want to become more involved in this ministry!" The voice on the other end of the line was full of enthusiasm. "This is the answer to our Laodicean condition!" The caller went on to describe the transformation and unity among the church members since their church began reaching out to refugees.
As ministerial spouses, we have many opportunities to minister to our members, but there is something refreshing about reaching out to those less fortunate than we are, and some of the most least fortunate and most appreciative people whose lives we can touch are refugees.
While the Bible does not use the word "refugee", many of the key characters were refugees. In fact, even Jesus was a refugee. Much of the Bible describes God's care for a group of refugees!
A careful look at the Bible reveals God's love and care for refugees, and a careful look at the inspired writings reveal the key role refugees and other foreign born people will have in rapidly spreading the gospel to the world. Read More
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Dwayne Hill, breaks new ground in Bermuda as the spouse of Bermuda's first Adventist woman pastor.
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