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Photo of the Week, Album 2
Mission in Pictures

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Traditional Prayers This Jewish man is praying a traditional prayer in Jerusalem. More				Nose Kiss Charlotte Ishkanian, editor of the Mission magazines, receives a traditional greeting in New Zealand called a hongi or nose kiss. More
Mountain Citadel The awe-inspiring ruins of Machu Picchu are nestled high in a remote area of the Andes mountains in Peru. More				Beach Treats The dried fish at the beaches in the Kyrgyz Republic make a colorful sight. More
Dome of the Holy Supulcher This dome sits, it is believed, over the site of the tomb where Jesus was buried and lay for three days. More				Fancy Footwork Donning a mask, Papua New Guinea missionary Brook Payne joins Asaro Mud Men in a traditional dance. More
J. N. Andrews: Letter to Mom Immediately upon landing in Liverpool, England, pioneer missionary J. N. Andrews composed this letter to his mother. More				Church's First Mission Ship Probably the best known of Seventh-day Adventist missionary vessels, the Pitcairn has a rich and fascinating history. More
Red Scarf This young girl stands near the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. Agra, located near New Delhi, is a big tourist stop in Northern India. More				Over the River to Camp Meeting We Go Every year some 3,500 people travel by boat on the Amazon River to attend the Mutuca camp meeting in northern Brazil. More
Nana's Memoirs Norman and Ruby Ferris were pioneer Adventist missionaries to the Solomon Islands. Read Ruby's inspiring memoirs.				Whole Lot's Hoppening Down Here! Wallabies aren't the only thing hopping along in Australia. So are some exciting mission projects. More
Celebrating God's Day The brightly-colored clothing must have been the first thing to greet visitor’s eyes in this church in Mirzapur, India. More				Meet the Driver of "The Big Yellow Truck" Pastor Eric Juriansz, the truck driver who crashed down the mountain in Eric B. Hare's beloved story, The Big Yellow Truck. More
Days of War This 53-foot-long canoe is on display at the South Sea Island Museum in Cooranbong, Australia. More				Prayer Flags "I have seen prayer trees in a number of countries with cloths tied to their branches." More
South Pacific Kids "Flip" for Jesus Many children's Sabbath Schools on the South Pacific islands have no pictures to illustrate Bible stories. But we're about to change that! More				Touching the "Untouchables"  Within the caste system of India, this man, who is most likely a beggar, would be part of the lowest caste, Chandala, the untouchables. More
Karen Refugee Boy This small boy is the son of Karen refugees in Northern Thailand. More				Quechuas Boy Weaving This Quechuas boy is weaving at a cultural center in Ecuador called Mitad del Mundo. More
Fun at Camp Meeting These Aboriginal girls are enjoying a weekend camp meeting in the bush of Western Australia. More				Fernando and Ana Stahl For nearly 30 years pioneer missionaries Fernando and Ana Stahl worked among the Indians in South America. More
Taming the Brute It's not every day you get to baptize three rodeo champions! More				Honey Seller This street market vendor in Taiwan is selling candies made of honey. More
Menancing Mountain Rabaul is is one of the most active and dangerous volcanoes in Papua New Guinea. More				Grandfather Hare Eric B. Hare inspires his grandchildren Carol and Calvin with stories from the mission field.What was it like to have Eric B. Hare for a grandfather? More
Begging for Life A child beggar in India plasters himself against a car window hoping for a handout. More				All Smiles These Haitian children were attending Sabbath School at one of the Seventh-day Adventist churches in Port-au-Prince prior to the earthquake. More
Maori Welcome Dance These students at the South Auckland Seventh-day Adventist Primary School in New Zealand are performing a traditional Maori welcome dance called a haka. More				Church's First Mission Plane The Andrew Stewart, first mission plane officially owned and operated by the Adventist Church. More
Little Church Planter Every week Vitoria paddles her canoe along the Amazon to share Jesus with her friends. More				Small Packages Elbert Kuhn stands beside a 80-year-old woman whom he baptized while serving as a missionary in Mongolia. More
Woman on Reed Boat This woman is standing on a reed boat on Lake Titicaca which is located high in the Andes, bordering Bolivia and Peru. More				The Children She Loves Surrounded by children she loves and serves, Sarah Andersen is a nurse working at Béré Adventist Hospital, in Chad, with her physician husband, James Appel. More
Cute Thing Down Under "Have I ever seen anything cuter? I wondered as I gazed at the baby koala." More				A Harvest of Hearts Heriberto Muller can’t resist a sweet juicy apple. And there is no end to them in Kyrgyzstan, where he and his wife, Mabel, serve as missionaries. But there is another harvest here as well. A harvest of hearts. More
Girl From Madeira This girl is wearing the national costume of Madeira, a beautiful tourist island off the coast of Portugal. More				Gimbie Girls Every time Adventist Volunteer Service missionary Mark Pierson walked into town, these little girls came  running to shake his hand. More
Can Pandas Play Flutes? China is home to the giant panda and some 1.3 billion people. One of our Thirteenth Sabbath Offerings helped produce Adventist television programs in Mandarin. More				First Adventist Missionary to the Pacific John Tay, founder of the mission schooner, the Pitcairn, brought the Advent message to the Pacific Islands. More
J. N. Andrews: "Covenant Concerning the French Language  J. N. Andrews and his children signed this "Covenant" in 1876, vowing to "use only the French language in our conversation with one another." More				Kayan Woman Kayan women in northern Thailand wear brass coils around their necks as a sign of beauty. More
Children of Maderia Children at the primary school in Madeira are full of energy and smiles. More				The Grand Place Flower Carpet This flower carpet in the main square of the Grand Place in Brussels was created with 700,000 begonias. More
Listen to the Music! Ariunza is playing special music for a church service on a traditional Mongolian instrument called a huuchir. More				Turkmenistan Woman This lady, and hundreds like her, sit day by day in a bazaar in Turkmenistan, waiting for someone to buy their carpets, clothes, or fresh vegetables. More
Tramelan Adventist Church First Seventh-day Adventist Church outside North America. More				The Wonder of Hope Desperately poor, surrounded by Animistic Buddhism, this little girl finds that she also can be held on the lap of the Savior. More
Slow Travels Dr. Elmer Ribeyro often flies to a nearby island to treat patients. It's a short flight but a long trip when his journey begins on a tractor. More				Old Ways, New Hearts Strahil and Tonka are new church members in Bulgaria, partly due to an answered prayer that saved their horse. More
Steep Thrills For more than 100 years men on Madeira Island have guided these sleds from a park near the top of the capital city down the steep and windy streets. More				Maasai women in Kenya enjoy a breeze outside an Adventist church after attending an AIDS education seminar. More
First Issue of French Signes of the Times The first issue of Les Signes des Temps published by J. N. Andrews in Switzerland in 1876. More				A Mine-blowing Experience "I received horrifying news: the land mine had been found—in the middle of the path I had walked the entire time going back and forth to my clinic!" More
The Best Sabbath I Ever Had “I expected to sit on the ground. And I expected the sermon to be in Khmer. But I didn’t expect a silver bowl to touch my heart.” More				New Year's Dreams "At the end of Chinese New Year, Taiwanese write their wishes on  lanterns then light them and watch them rise in the sky." More
First Fruits Missionary Charles Shultz baptizes the first members of the first English-speaking Adventist fellowship in Kathmandu, Nepal. More				Spinning Cotton This man in Cameroon, West Africa, is spinning cotton into thread to make a robe. More

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Nose Kiss, New Zealand 

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Beach Treats, Kyrgyzstan

The dried fish at the beaches in the Kyrgyz Republic make a colorful sight. These fish are sold and eaten as delicacies in the country.

The fish being sold in this picture are at the beach in Kyrgyzstan, where many vacationers go. Literature evangelists go to the same places to sell books to the people there on vacation.

The Kyrgyz Republic has 1,426 Seventh-day Adventist church members in the country, and the numbers are growing. Since the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, the Kyrgyz Republic has remained a secular state, but there have been many influences from other religions, Russian Orthodox Catholics, Muslims, and Seventh-day Adventist missionaries. 

Thank you for the support of the mission work in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Photo and thoughts by Homer Trecartin, former missionary and associate secretary of the General Conference.


Read a blog from a missionary in Kyrgyzstan 
 

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Dome of the Holy Supulcher, Israel

Looking up at the awe-inspiring dome in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Old Jerusalem, many thoughts come to mind. This dome sits, it is believed, over the site of the tomb where Jesus was buried and lay for three days. 

There are three different major religions in Jerusalem, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism and each regards specific sites as holy for their own particular reasons. At the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, people come daily to view what is believed to be the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, the place where Jesus' tomb was, Golgotha, and the prison cell Jesus was held.

Thinking of something like this, it is remembered that it's not really the spot and what happened there that makes a difference, but knowing God makes the difference.

Israel is in the Trans-European Division. The last Thirteenth Sabbath Offering to go to Israel was in January 2004 and helped to set up 12 new Seventh-day Adventist churches and congregations.

Photo credit, Homer Trecartin. Thoughts by Kati Pettit, student intern for Adventist Mission. 

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Fancy Footwork, Papua New Guinea

Brooks and Susan Payne are Adventist missionaries serving in Papua New Guinea. Recently they visited a local cultural center where they were greeted by Asaro mud men who performed traditional dances.

The men's bodies are smeared with clay from the Asaro River. Their masks are also made of the same clay and sun baked. 

Brooks, a mechanic for Adventist Aviation Services, couldn't resist donning a mask and trying a few moves of his own. 

According to legend, the Asaro warriors were once defeated by an opposing tribe and fled into the Asaro River for safety. Later, covered with dried mud from the river, they again encountered their enemies. But this time their opponents were terrified. They may have thought the Asaros were spirits. The enemy fled, leaving the Asaro warriors victorious.  It is said that from that point on the Asaro men always covered themselves in mud for battle. 

 Photo courtesy of Brooks and Susan Payne.  

Check out Brooks and Susan's blog. 

Your mission offerings help support the Paynes and other Adventist missionaries  around the world. Thanks for your support! 

 

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J. N. Andrews: Letter to Mom

Click on image for larger view

The Seventh-day Adventist work started on the European continent in 1874 when Christians in Switzerland asked the church in North America to send a missionary. John Nevins Andrews was the logical choice. He was not only a minister and evangelist but the leading Adventist scholar of his day.

Immediately upon landing in Liverpool, England, Andrews composed this letter to his mother. He writes, “we were taken seasick the second night and were sick about 24 hours. Then helpless 24 more.” Yet Andrews thanks God for a safe passage, noting “that the angel of God was with us on the ship.”¹

In October 2006, Jeanne Andrews, a great granddaughter of J.N. Andrews, donated an extraordinary collection of Andrews' letters and artifacts to Andrews University's Center for Adventist Research. This letter was included in her donation. 


¹ Photo and quote credit, Focus, Winter 2006

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Church's First Mission Ship

The decision to build a missionary ship was made at the General Conference session of October 1889. The schooner was paid for by Sabbath school offerings. It set sail from Oakland, California, on October 20, 1890, with missionary John Tay and his wife aboard. It arrived at Pitcairn Island November 25, 1890.

Photo courtesy of South Sea Island Museum, Cooranbong, Australia
Copy source, Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia

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Red Scarf, India

This young girl stands near the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. Agra located near New Delhi, is a big tourist stop in Northern India. 

Along with being home to the famed Taj Mahal, Agra houses the Agra Fort, or the Red Fort, the mausoleum of Itmad-ud-Daulah, and Siskandra, the mausoleum of Akbar.

In the town of Agra, there are many different tombs, mausoleums, and memorials for those who have died. This seems to be a town that remembers their dead. It is also considered to be a hopelessly romantic town, because of the story that accompanies the Taj Mahal.

From the things I have learned in my life, I can have the hope of resurrection and seeing again those whom I loved who died.

While the monuments are beautiful, they represent so much sadness. Thank you for your support of Adventist Mission and the hope that they are bringing to other people. Please continue to pray for the mission work in India and around the globe.

Photo credit: Esti and Miroslov Pujic. Thoughts by Kati Pettit, Adventist Mission intern.
 

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Over the River to Camp Meeting We Go,
Brazil

Every year between 3,500 and 4,000 people travel by boat on the Amazon River to attend the Mutuca camp meeting in the Amazonas-Roraima conference of northern Brazil.

Members from each church travel together on one boat or more, and it’s not uncommon to see 50 boats or more with one to three floors each docked at the camp meeting site.

Thousands of Adventists live along the Amazon River and many are descendants of the first converts from the work of missionaries Leo and Jesse Halliwell.



At sunset on Sabbath there was a special baptism. Hundreds of people boarded the boats to get a good view. Notice how the boat is tilting!

Evangelism in northern Brazil is strong and there are large and frequent baptisms. This occasion was made extra special by outlining the baptismal area with a beautiful floating floral arrangement in shape of a cross.

Photo credit: Ivan Samojluk, Sabbath School and Personal Ministries Director, South American Division.



 

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Nana's Memoirs, Solomon Islands

Born in 1899 in rural Australia, Rubina May Ferris (pictured on right with her husband Norman, daughter Norma, and son Ray) lived a life of great adventure, heartache, and joy.

Together she and Norman pioneered the Adventist work in the South Pacific on a tiny string of islands called the Solomons. It was dangerous, demanding work. Yet Ruby never felt that she had accomplished much for the gospel.

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Meet the driver of The Big Yellow Truck, Myanmar 

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 Days of War,
Australia

This 53-foot-long canoe is on display at the South Sea Island Museum in Cooranbong, Australia. The museum houses one of the world's best private collections of artifacts from tribes in the South Pacific.

This canoe has been dug out of a large tree. The bow and the stern sections are sewn and glued to the "tree" section as are the sections of timber surrounding the gunwale. Countless holes are bored through the beveled edges. A tough cane is used for sewing. The vessel is then made leak-proof by using the remarkably tenacious crushed teita nut.


Many of the artifacts in the museum, including the canoe, were used in war and donated by the South Sea tribes people when they converted to Christianity.

Photos courtesy of South Sea Island Museum, Cooranbong, Australia.








 

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Prayer Flags

I have seen prayer trees in a number of countries--trees with cloths, pieces of  plastic, sometimes even clothes or pictures of people tied to their branches.

I don't know what made people think a particular tree was holy, but now many will make long trips to add their request to its overloaded branches.

Usually it is Christians who seem to feel that somehow, as the rag blows, their prayers will be sent on their way to heaven.

But I have also seen people from other world religious saying a prayer and tying something on in hopes that good luck, or blessing, or some miracle will come their way.

I am thankful that I can go directly to God without needing the help of a tree and the breeze to take my prayers  to Him.

Photo and thoughts by Homer Trecartin, former missionary and associate secretary of the General Conference.

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 South Pacific Kids "Flip" for Jesus

Imagine being a child and hearing Bible stories without seeing any pictures. No Sabbath School lessons, no felts, no picture rolls! For many Sabbath Schools on the islands of the South Pacific Division there simply aren't enough funds to provide children with these basic materials that go so far in helping them to understand the Bible and learn about God's love.

Part of our Thirteenth Sabbath Offering for fourth quarter 2009 is providing these children with flip charts. To learn more about this exciting project, click here. And thanks for your generous support!
 

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Touching the "Untouchables,"
India

This man is sitting on the sidewalks of Delhi, India with what appears to be all his worldly possessions around him. Looking at this picture, you can see glasses and a glasses case, two pots, a pillow, and a mat.

Within the caste system, this man, who is most likely a beggar, would be part of the lowest caste, Chandala, the untouchables. Since 1959, there has been a law in Delhi called the 1959 Beggars Act, which prohibits people from giving money to beggars.

Thanks to your support of mission work in India, we are able to reach out to help people like this man; give them hope, and teach them about Jesus. Thank you for your prayers and all the support you give to Adventist Mission for places like India and around the world.

Photo credit, Esti and Miroslav Pujic; thoughts by Kati Pettit, Adventist Mission intern.
 

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 Karen Refugee Boy, Thailand

This small boy is the son of Karen refugees in Northern Thailand. His parents are from Myanmar (Burma). The Karen Tribe spreads across Thailand and Myanmar. 

About 400,000 Karen refugees reside in Thailand and around 8 million are in Myanmar, making it the largest hill tribe. They are facing a world of problems, including poverty, disease, cultural change, and lack of opportunities.

The refugees have to run from Myanmar to Thailand for safety from the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Many of them want to go home to their villages, not keep running forever. 

About 20% of the Karen people are Christian, passed down from Christian missionaries in the early 1900s.

From the help of Adventist missionaries, there have been schools set up in the camps and people later go on to the Mission College to return to the camps and help others. Most of the Karen people would prefer to stay in their home country and choose to stay in the camps instead of go to a new country and learn a new way of life, although some do choose to learn new ways.

Both Myanmar and Thailand are located in the Southern Asia-Pacific Division.

Photograph by Rick McEdward.  Rick served as a missionary in Sri Lanka and the Philippines. He is currently an associate director at the Institute of World Mission in Berrien Springs, Michigan, U.S.A. 

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Quechuas Boy Weaving,
Ecuador

This Quechuas boy is weaving at a cultural center called Mitad del Mundo. Located near Quito,Ecuador, the museum depicts the traditions of the Amerindian people who live in and near the Andes.

Mitad del Mundo means "middle of the world” in Spanish. Between the years 1979 and 1982, a 30-meter-tall monument was built to mark the point where the equator was thought to pass through the country. It is now known, through GPS technology, that the structure is about 240 meters south of the true equator. 

13th Sabbath Offering Projects in Ecuador

The Ecuador Adventist Technical Institute shared classrooms and dormitory facilities with the Adventist secondary school in Santo Domingo, Ecuador. In order to be accredited, the church needed to upgrade the school buildings to meet government standards. Part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering for third quarter 2008 helped renovate these buildings. 

The Adventist Church in Ecuador has several radio stations called Radio Nuevo Tiempo. Part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering for third quarter 2008 helped improve the broadcast capabilities of these stations and link them into a more effective network, so that programs could be produced at a central location for use throughout the country.
 

Thanks for your support of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering!

Photo credit: Charlotte Ishkanian, editor of Mission, Adventist Mission. 
 

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Camp Meeting Fun, Australia

These Aboriginal girls are members of the Wiluna Seventh-day Adventist Church who are enjoying a weekend camp meeting in the bush of Western Australia. 

Part of our Thirteenth Sabbath Offering for fourth quarter 2009 helped purchase land on which to build Mamarapha Bible College, an Aboriginal Bible college outside Perth.


Photo credit: Charlotte Ishkanian, editor of Mission, Adventist Mission. 


FUN FACTS
►Aboriginal Australians are the original people of Australia. They lived in small, family-based groups, surviving on food they could hunt or dig up with basic tools.
►The Aboriginal Australians invented the boomerang, a curved, carved piece of wood that they used as a hunting weapon. 
 

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Fernando and Ana Stahl

Pioneer Adventist missionaries to South America.

For nearly 30 years Fernando and Ana Stahl shared their medical and educational skills with the Indians of the Andes and Amazon of Peru.

Taming the Brute, Australia

Over the years a number of pastors had the privilege of studying with the Jones family from Woodford, South Queensland, including David  Lamb, Murray House, Michael Worker, my Global Mission pioneer, Steven Groom, and me. It reminded me of Jesus’ words recorded in John  4:37 about one sowing and another reaping.

Taking the Plunge
Dale and Patricia Jones had had enough sowing, it was decision time! Finally yielding to the convicting voice of the Spirit, Dale sussed out a good waterhole on the Stanley River at the rear of his farm and they took the plunge in baptism, conducted by Steven Groom and me.

It was all too much for Dale’s brother, Darryl, watching from the riverbank. When I  issued a call for others to be baptized or rebaptized, Darryl plunged in too, boots and all.

The three candidates between them hold impressive achievements on the rodeo circuit: Dale was rookie bull-riding champion of the National Rodeo Association for 1993 and Senior Champion for 1994 and 1995. The list of championships he’s won goes on and on. These days he’s into tamer pursuits, he and Patricia break-in horses for a living.

Limping in Public
“I was such a stubborn and proud man because the rodeo scene is a tough and proud world," says Dale. "Even if you’re injured you don’t show it to the crowd. You don’t limp in public. I was far to proud to ask for help, and I thought I would be showing weakness  to even admit that I needed help. God needed to soften my proud heart, which He finally did, and brought an end to my rebellion. It’s still a constant struggle, and sometimes if I’m breaking  a horse and remember that I haven’t given myself to God for that day, I’ll just stop and ask Him to take over the rest of my day. Finding God has certainly made me a much better husband and a better dad.”

Patricia was 1993 National Rodeo Association Queen, Miss Photogenic of the Association the same year, 1994 Rookie Breakaway Roping Champion, and a Bull-Rider in her own right. As Rodeo Queen she rode a (tame) bull in a procession down the main street of Caboolture, which certainly stopped traffic!

Darryl Jones won the National Steer-Wrestling Championship in 1994, Circuit Champion in 1998 and 2000, Australian Circuit Champion in 2001, Mt. Isa Champion 2006, and is currently leading the Sunshine Circuit, encompassing Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales. He’s accomplished all this
without ever attending a rodeo on Sabbath.

Holy Boldness
“I felt the need for rebaptism because I was losing some of my fearlessness in witnessing for my Lord," says Darryl. "Since the baptism I’ve regained that holy boldness and joy in the Lord."

Between them the family has won nearly every title in the association. Even as little children the brothers were champion poddy riders. They owe their love for the rodeo to their father, Bill Jones, who in his time was Queensland Champion Bull-Dogger and Calf Roper. (For the uninitiated, that means jumping off a horse, wresting a steer to the ground, and tying up its legs.) They all reckon they’ve broken more bones than they can count—arms, legs, noses, ankles, fingers, shoulder blades, ribs, and the list goes on.

Bill and his wife, Bronwyn, have been praying for their sons and daughter-in law for years, and saw the fruit of their prayers down by the riverside recently.

Lapping Up the Things of Christ
Patricia’s comment on the day summed up their combined feelings, “Now that I’ve decided to follow Jesus it’s all totally different. We’re both lapping up the things of Christ. It’s an indescribable experience that wells up from within. You feel like you’re on a high while you’re still walking around in this sinful world.  It leaves being National Rodeo Queen for dead!”

Dale and Patricia, along with their daughter, Courtney, and son, Billy, now worship with the new Seventh-day Adventist church plant at Woodford, a Global Mission initiative that commenced in 2005 and now averages around thirty in attendance.

Pastor Mike Brownhill, Global Mission project coordinator, South Queensland, Australia.

Photos
1. National Rodeo Champion, Dale Jones
2. Patricia Jones riding the Barrel-run
3. Baptismal group (from left): Pastor Mike Brownhill, Global Mission pioneer Steve Groom, Darryl Jones (brother), Dale and Patricia Jones with children Courtney and Billy, and Pastor David Lamb.

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Honey Seller,
Taiwan

Street markets are the primary form of shopping in Taiwan.  Street vendors like this honey man, use their crafts and skills for their primary income.

If you look carefully, you can see that he has created the candies in all kinds of fun shapes such as fish or dragonflies!

This photo was taken by Rika Meyer who is serving as a volunteer missionary with her husband Aaron in Taiwan. To read their blog, click here.
 

 

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Menacing Mountain, Papua New Guinea

Rabaul is is one of the most active and dangerous volcanoes in Papua New Guinea. In 1994 an eruption destroyed nearly two thirds of Rabaul, the largest town on the island of New Britain. According to records, nearly two thirds of the buildings were destroyed, including the headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's New Britain New Ireland Mission.

A special offering taken in Australia and New Zealand helped relocate the mission administrative office the town of Kokopo, home of Sonoma Adventist College.

Your weekly mission offerings help fund the worldwide mission work of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, touching hearts eternally for Jesus. Thank you so much for your generous support.

Photo credit: Charlotte Ishkanian, editor of Mission, Adventist Mission. 

 

 

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Grandfather Hare

 

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Church's First Mission Plane

The Andrew Stewart was the first mission plane officially owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church anywhere in the world.

This photo was taken at the plane's dedication service at Bankstown Airport in Sydney, Australia, June 2, 1964, The Andrew Stewart was named after a pastor who went as a pioneer missionary to New Hebrides (Vanuatu) in 1907.

Pastor Len  Barnard, pioneer medical missionary to Papua New Guinea for 30 years, initiated the establishment of the Adventist Aviation Association. For years Len had hiked days to reach a single village in the highlands. But when the church bought the Andrew Stewart in 1964, he could reach many villages in a single day.

The Andrew Stewart served the church for 21 years, flying safely for 5,000 hours without a single accident or insurance claim, mostly in remote areas of Papua New Guinea and the North New South Wales Conference in Australia.

In 1987 the Andrew Stewart became a static display mounted on a pedestal at Ellen White's former home,"Sunnyside," and the adjoining South Sea Island Museum n Corranbong, Australia. But by 2008 it was badly deteriorated and only the shell of the aircraft remained. A restoration  project, overseen by Rose-lee Power, curator of the Lake Macquarie campus-based Adventist Heritage Centre, has included several former pilots, including Len Barnard.

Today Adventist Aviation Services continues the tradition of mission planes. In 2006 your Thirteenth Sabbath Offerings helped purchase a 12-seat aircraft, which is making an incredible difference in their work. They now transport missionaries, pastors, teachers, and nurses to remote villages. Move evangelistic materials and building supplies for churches to isolated areas. And transport the sick to town for treatment.

Thank you for your support of mission!

Photo credits: Adventist Heritage Centre 

 

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Little Church Planter,
Brazil 

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Small Packages, Mongolia

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Woman on Reed Boat,
South America

This woman is standing on a reed boat on Lake Titicaca which is located high in the Andes, bordering Bolivia and Peru.

Lake Titicaca is reportedly the highest navigable lake in the world, sitting at 12,530 feet, and is also the largest lake in South America, covering 3,100 square miles.

The Uros, a pre-Incan people, live on more than 40 floating islands which they make from totora plant. They also use the totora plant to make boats.

The purpose of the island settlements was originally defensive, and if a threat arose the people could move them. The largest island retains a watchtower almost entirely constructed of reeds. The islands last about 30 years.


Thank you for your support of mission work in Peru, Bolivia, and around the world.

Photo credit: Charlotte Ishkanian, editor of Mission, Adventist Mission. 
 

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The Chidren She Loves, Chad

Surrounded by children she loves and serves, Sarah Andersen is a nurse working at Béré Adventist Hospital, in Chad, with her physician husband, James Appel. More

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Cute Thing Down Under

Have I ever seen anything cuter? I wondered as I watched a small ball of gray fluff slowly emerge from behind a curtain of green leaves. I'd been photographing koalas feeding for nearly an hour and had caught a glimpse of what I thought might be a baby. Finally, the mother turned my direction, revealing a sleeping infant cradled by her hind limbs.

Then it happened. That magical moment when its eyes fluttered open and locked on mine.

This joey, as koala young are called, was only the size of a jelly bean at birth. After only a 35 day gestation period, it crawled from its mother's birth canal to her pouch where it finished developing over a period of about six or seven months. 



The joey was still nursing, but occasionally it reached for a nearby eucalyptus leaf. It smelled like cough drops!

Koalas have soft, thick gray fur with white on their chest and inner arms. Their noses are black and leathery and their ears are huge and furry. They spend most of their time in the fork of a tree, eating and sleeping.

Koalas live in in eastern and southeastern Australia. Australia is a fascinating country with many unique animals. To watch inspiring stories of what's happening in Adventist mission in this part of the world, click here.  

Photo and thoughts by Laurie Falvo


 

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A Harvest of Hearts 

We can all be laborers in Central Asia!

Heriberto Muller can’t resist a sweet juicy apple. And there is no end to them in Kyrgyzstan, the Central Asian country where he and his wife, Mabel, serve as missionaries. When they shop at the street market, the vendor tables are mounded with apples of all different shapes, colors, and sizes. And not only apples, but pears, apricots, cherries, melons, nuts, and berries as well.

Many scientists believe apples originated in Central Asia and were brought west by traders along the Silk Road. This vast network of trade routes linked Europe with Asia and was named for the lucrative Chinese silk trade that began during the Han Empire.

Today this ancient route marks a path where Christianity is hardly known and that for Seventh-day Adventists still represents the least reached area of the world. It travels through places such as China, Central Asia, the Middle East, Turkey, Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan, where millions have never heard the name of Jesus.

This spring thousands of wild apple trees will burst into bloom in Central Asia.  And this fall laborers will harvest the deep red apples for market. But there is another harvest here as well. A harvest of hearts.

In recent years exciting opportunities have opened for our church in this region. Missionaries Heriberto and Mabel Muller share some of these success stories in their blog. “A Dream Comes True,” reveals how years of prayer helped establish a new Global Mission pioneer school in Kyrgyzstan that trains dozens of people each year and sends them to unentered territories and unreached people groups. 

The 2010 General Conference Session Offering will give us all the opportunity to help share the Good News in Central Asia.

"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few,” said Jesus (Matthew …. “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers in to his harvest field.” We can each let God use us to answer that prayer. We can help light a path of hope along this old trade route that leads to a new life in Jesus and eternal life in His kingdom.  Please give what you can and help turn the flicker of dreams into the dazzling light of hope.
 
Muller Blog
2010 General Conference Session Offering
Adventist Church Approves 10-Year Initiative in Central Asia  

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Girl From Madeira

This girl, featured on the cover of the second quarter 2010 Children's Mission magazine, lives on the island of Madeira. She is wearing the Madeiran national costume. 

Madeira lies about 700 miles (1100 km) soutwest of Portugal. Most of the people who live on Madeira are Catholics, but some 300 Adventists live on the island and operate a primary school (preschoo through grade four). The student body is roughly 90 percent non-Adventits, making it a true mission school. teachers at the school make every effort to instill in these children a sense that God loves them and wants to be their friend for life.

In spite of the crowded conditions, paretns are eager to enroll their children in the school, which is known for its strong academic and social training. Part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering for second quarter 2010 will help renovate and enlarge this school to meet goverment standards and increase the church's impact on the island.

Photograph and thoughts by Charlotte Ishkanian.



 

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Gimbie Girls, Ethiopia

"These girls live across from Gimbie Adventist Hospital (GAH), so I saw them almost every day. Their names are Hana and Ayantu and their parents work at the hospital.

Every time I walked into town, which was almost every day, they would come running to me and we would shake hands and say, "Faayaata" which means health to you in Oromifa. I miss them very much.

Hana and Ayantu are playing with some rope and an old broken flashlight.

I was a volunteer at Gimbie for eight months, supervising construction. I am going back again this October to volunteer again.
 
When I see photos of my friends in Gimbie my heart aches because I miss them, but it is happy too because I am returning to Gimbie soon. Our Jesus is so good to us humans, how can it be?"



~ Photo and thoughts by Mark Pierson, former Adventist Volunteer Service missionary, Gimbie Adventist Hospital, Ethiopia. To learn more about Adventist Volunteer Service, click here.

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First Adventist Missionary to the Pacific

John Tay, an American who accepted the Advent faith in 1873, became the first Seventh-day Adventist missionary to the Pacific Islands. Working his passage on six ships this retired carpenter arrived on Pitcairn Island in 1886 and gave Bible studies to the islanders. The islanders had received Adventist literature 10 years before from preachers J.N. Loughborough and James White, and now they eagerly accepted the Sabbath.

Tay's journey inspired Adventists in North America to raise funds for a mission boat for the South Pacific. Aptly named the Pitcairn, this schooner soon carried the Advent Message throughout the islands.

Sailing upon the schooner in 1891, Tay became the first Seventh-day Adventist missionary to Fiji. Within several months of his arrival he became ill and died. Photo credit: Charlotte Ishkanian, editor of Mission, Adventist Mission. 

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Kayan Woman

Kayan women in Thailand have worn brass coils around their necks for generations. Contrary to popular belief, the coils don't actually stretch the vertebrae in the neck. Instead the heavy brass coils, sometimes weighing up to 40 pounds, compress the women's clavicles and rib cages over time making their necks appear longer. The coils are sometimes inaccurately described as "rings." But what at first glance appears to be a stack of brass rings is actually a single brass coil, wrapped tightly about the neck.

Girls often begin wearing a coil as young as 5 years old. For the Kayan these coils are a traditional and very normal ornamentation. Although not mandatory, most young women choose to wear them.
 
Located between the present-day countries of Myanmar and Cambodia in southern Asia, Thailand has existed as a unified kingdom for 700 years. The 65 million people in Thailand are 95 percent Buddhist and less than 1 percent Christian. There are currently more than 10,000 Seventh-day Adventist members.
 

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Can Pandas Play Flutes?
China
 

He's doing a great impression, isn't he!

Giant pandas live in the mountains of China. They are endangered and are protected by the govenment.

Their diet is about 99 per cent bamboo but they will also eat honey, leaves, oranges, fish, yams, and bananas.

Males can weigh up to 253 pounds (115 kg ) while females occasionally weigh as much as 220 pounds (100 kg). At birth they are about the size of a stick of butter.


Home to the giant panda and the 2008 summer olympics, China also claims more than 1.3 billion people, 353,000 Adventists, and 930 Adventist churches.

In the past your mission offerings have helped to build churches and produce radio broadcasting in China.

The fourth quarter, 2008, Thirteenth Sabbath Offering helped produce Adventist television programs in Mandarin Chinese. It was a wonderful and rare opportunity to share the message of God's love with the people of China.

Please pray that the Spirit of God will be poured out upon the Chinese, preparing them to embrace His message of hope and love.

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Maori Welcome Dance, New Zealand

These students at the South Auckland Seventh-day Adventist Primary School in Papatoetoe, Auckland, New Zealand, are performing a traditional Maori welcome dance called a haka.

The haka can be a war dance or a welcome dance. The kids try to look as strong and fierce as they can, crouching as if to pounce, stepping side to side in a wide-footed stance, and beating their chests.

The Maori (pronounced mah-OH-ree) people are the descendants of the original settlers in New Zealand who came from surrounding islands. A generation ago a deliberate move was made to encourage the learning of the Maori language through total immersion kohanga reo kura or kindergartens. Today more than one thousand of these kindergartens exist and children can complete their studies in the language at primary and high school levels.  

Photo credit: Charlotte Ishkanian, editor of Mission, Adventist Mission. 

Please Pray!

There are more than half a million Maori in New Zealand yet less than 300 of them are Seventh-day Adventists. Pastor Jake Ormsby, a Maori elder and the school chaplain of South Auckland Primary School, requests our prayers for the work in New Zealand as our church strives to share Gods love with the Maori people and provide Adventist Maori leaders with much-needed resources and encouragement.
 

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Listen to the Music!

Ariunzya is playing special music for a church service on a traditional Mongolian instrument called a huuchir. She was baptized four years ago during the winter season by Adventist missionary Elbert Kuhn. As Mongolian winters are extremely cold and there was no access to a baptismal tank, Ariunzya was baptized in a bathtub. 

The hymn Ariunzya is playing is based on Psalm 42:1, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks,
so panteth my soul after thee, O God" (King James Version).
 
To read Elbert and Cleidi Kuhn's inspiring blog on the mission work in Mongolia, click here.  

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The Grand Place Flower Carpet

The Grand Place, the main plaza in Brussels, is considered one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe. In the Middle Ages it was a mere marketplace surrounded by small wooden houses, but by the 1400s it had grown into the administrative center of Brussels. Work began on the Town Hall in 1402 and wealthy families erected stone mansions around the square in the fourteenth century.

In 1695 much of the Grand Place was destroyed by French gunners executing orders from King Louis XIV. Over the next four years craftsmen rebuilt many of the buildings.

The Grand Place attracts thousands of tourist who come to admire the Gothic and Baroque architecture, enjoy concerts, or attend the Grand Place Flower Carpet, an event held once every two years in August, when as many as a million flowers are used to create a magical tapestry.

The Belgium-Luxembourg Conference has 28 churches and fewer than 2,000 members. A number of these churches are foreign-language (international) churches serving immigrants from throughout Europe and South America.

One of our Thirteenth Sabbath Offering projects this quarter is to renovate the first floor of a building in Belgium to accommodate two churches, for the Romanians and the Spanish-speaking groups, the fastest growing congregations in Brussels.


Photograph
A total of 700,000 begonias were used to create this flower carpet in Grand Place in 2004.   

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Old Ways, New Hearts

Strahil and Tonka Angelov are Romani (Gypsies) who live in Chirpan, a small city in central Bulgaria. Many Romani prefer using horses and wagons to automobiles (they’re cheaper for one thing—they run on grass, which is ample).

Romani are a close-knit ethnic group, and when one discovers something good for the group, he/she shares it with others. This is one reason our church has grown rapidly in several Romani enclaves such as Kyustendil, a city in the far western region of Bulgaria, where the Adventist members number one in every 10 Romani, and many “friends” attend worship services aimed just to them. 

The photo below shows an afternoon meeting at the central Romani Adventist church in Kyustendil . Church members are “kindly requested” to not come to the Sabbath afternoon services, so that the “friends” can come. And the church is packed and overflowing into the courtyard.

Part of our Thirteenth Sabbath Offering last quarter will help build a church in Montana for Romani believers in northwestern Bulgaria.  

To read Strahil's story of how God answered his prayer to keep his horse from drowning, click here. 


Photo credit: Charlotte Ishkanian
 

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Steep Thrills

For more than 100 years men on Madeira Island have guided sleds like this one from a park near the top of the capital city of Funchal down the steep and windy streets. Several of the streets are still cobblestone, and are steep enough that the sleds get moving quite fast. The men jump off and push when they have to, steer when it’s necessary (pushing against one side or the other of the sled to get it around corners). In olden days these same men would have had to carry the sleds back up the hill for the next group to ride down. Now a truck carries them up.

Madeira is the tip of a volcano, and Funchal sits on the only non-vertical land on the island, which surrounds the bay. But even here the streets are quite steep. 

While 600 Seventh-day Adventists hold membership in the church in Madeira, many have left their homeland in search of work. About 300 Adventists remain on the islands. The Adventist Church operates one primary school in Funchal, the capital city. The student body of the school is roughly 90 percent non-Adventist, making it a true mission school. In spite of the crowded conditions, parents are eager to enroll their children in the school, which is known for its strong academic and social training.  

Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help renovate and enlarge this school to meet government standards and increase the church’s impact on the island.


Photograph and thoughts by Charlotte Ishkanian.
 

 

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Maasai women in Kenya enjoy a breeze outside an Adventist church after attending an AIDS education seminar by the Adventist - AIDS International Ministry (AAIM). In addition to encouraging testing, AIDS awareness and education, the program includes income generation programs for the Maasai including supplies for beadwork. Other projects include a charcoal-heated oven for baking, hair cutting equipment and kitchen gardens. AAIM is run by missionary doctors Oscar and Eugenia Giordano.

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First issue of French Signs of the Times

The Seventh-day Adventist work started on the European continent in 1874 when John Nevins Andrews and his children Charles and Mary became the first Seventh-day Adventist missionaries to serve outside North America. In 1876 Andrews started a small French version of Signs of the Times called, Les Signes des Temps. Charles and Mary worked alongside their father, translating, editing, and setting type. The effects of their service rippled around the world. Their magazine gave birth to Adventist congregations on three continents and thousands of missionaries, inspired by their dedication, followed in their footsteps.

Today there are some 176,000 Adventists in the Euro-Africa Division. A ratio of about one Adventist for every 3400 people. Church growth is steady. But it’s also slow. Please pray for the mission work of the Adventist Church in the Euro-africa Divison--that hearts may respond to the healing touch of God's love.

 

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A Mine-blowing Experience,
Angola

"Just days before my birthday I received horrifying news: the land mine had been found—in the middle of the path I had walked the entire time going back and forth to my clinic! My chest felt heavy as I recalled the rainy days, when the dirt in the path was soft and slippery.

"When the mine was detonated, the sound of the explosion was horrifying and the hole left behind set my hair on end. It measured one meter and a half in both diameter and depth. This was because the mine had been buried along with a number of grenades."
 
Excerpted from Thankful for Life, by Marlise Schneider, as told by her brother Raul Schneider.

To read about Raul's harrowing experience with the land mine, click here. 

 

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New Year's Dreams

"At the end of Chinese New Year, Taiwanese write all their wishes for the new year to come on big lanterns and then light the lanterns and watch them rise and float away into the sky," says missionary Rika Meyer. "This is a sign of good luck, and usually there are one or two HUGE lantern festivals when everyone does this at the same time."

This photo was taken by Rika Meyer who is serving as a volunteer missionary with her husband, Aaron, in Taiwan. To meet Rika and Aaron and read their blog, click here.

 

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The Best Sabbath I Ever Had,
Cambodia

by Nancy Kyte

The Sabbath I had been looking forward to finally arrived.  This was the day I would worship with a new group of believers who met in the outskirts of Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia.  What would their church be like?  Would they be friendly?  I could hardly wait to meet them. 

Even the trip to church was an adventure.  Although it was sunny and steamy outside, heavy rains had flooded some areas and left muddy roadways with deep ruts.  Cyclists would stop to wash the mud off their bikes when they got to higher ground.  Children played in puddles in front of crowded shops and food stands.  There was so much to see!  We passed vendors headed to market with their bicycles and motor scooters loaded with everything from furniture and tires to feather dusters and fresh vegetables.  Throngs of people were hurrying here and there.  In the garment district, men and women worked at rows of sewing machines, turning out masses of clothing at factory speed.  Where the pavement was dry, workers swept the street with brooms.  It seemed like everyone had a job to do.

We drove past mansions and shacks, rice paddies and fisheries, ponds with water lilies, new construction, and endless carts and motor scooters.  Finally, we turned down a muddy lane that led us past rickety houses through a little village to the church.  I had never attended a church like this before.  Tarps had been spread on the ground, and additional tarps were propped on poles to protect the congregation from the glaring sun or a sudden downpour.  Following the local custom, we removed our shoes before joining the others who were already seated on the ground.  A wooden pulpit and a battery-operated organ were the only pieces of furniture.  There was a gate and a wall that surrounded the property, but the church itself had not yet been built.

As I looked around, I saw people who smiled and nodded in greeting.  Soon I was smiling and waving back.   How easy it was to feel comfortable there!  But my strange foreign face must have frightened one baby.  She took one look at me, burst into tears and clung to her mother.  The Global Mission pioneer was hurrying around, greeting each person individually and welcoming them to church.  Many of them walked or rode their bikes to church, and some came with their entire family balanced on a motor scooter.

The lilting sounds of Cambodian hymns and prayers were so beautiful.  At first glance, their Bibles looked a lot like mine.   The pioneer who preached spoke with such enthusiasm and conviction, I was inspired even though I didn’t understand a single word. 

But the thing that touched me the most was when the offering was collected.  Passing around a silver bowl with a traditional hand-hammered design, the members generously gave their riel (Cambodia’s currency.)  And that’s when it hit me.  Along with the peace and comfort of being part of a global church family, we share the privilege of giving our offerings.  I was reminded that when all of us do our part, we help to make it possible for pastors, church planters, and Global Mission pioneers to take the gospel to areas where people have never heard about Jesus.  On this Sabbath, so different from my church at home, I realized anew that we had the same faith, the same God, and the same desire to share the good news of salvation with others.

It was the best Sabbath I’ve ever had.

Nancy Kyte is the marketing director for the Office of Adventist Mission.

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First Fruits,
Nepal

Missionary Charles Shultz baptizes the first members of the first English-speaking Adventist fellowship in Kathmandu.


Priya, the young woman being baptized in the chilly water of Nepal, is 17 years old. She was born in India but moved to Nepal with her mother when she was six months old. Baby Priya and her mother settled in Kathmandu Valley near two of Priya's uncles and their families who had moved from India some time before.

About four years ago, one of Priya's uncles met a man named Bhaju Ram Shrestha. Bhaju Ram was one of the first Seventh-day Adventists in Nepal. When one of Priya's uncle expressed interest in the Bible, Bhaju Ram offered to study with him. Soon all three families were attending the Bible studies.

They wanted to attend an Adventist church. But they understood English better than Nepali, and there were no English-speaking churches in Kathmandu where they lived. During those four long years, the families prayed for an English-speaking church. Unbeknown to them, God was working to fulfill their dream.


In 2009, Pastor Charles Shultz and his wife, Elizabeth were all set to retire in the United States. Then came a call from the General Conference to serve as missionaries in Nepal. The idea was nothing new to them. They had served in Nepal several times through the years and a passion for the Nepali people still burned in their hearts. "We had to go back," says Shultz. "Nepal is just an incredible place."

When they arrived in Nepal, Bhaju Ram told them about the three English-speaking families who were praying for an English-speaking church. That was impetus enough, but then other English-speaking Adventists who were there from different parts of the world begin asking for a church as well. 

"Bhaju Ram and I started to pray and walk the streets looking for a place to rent," says Pastor Shultz. "A place that had a big enough room for a church and smaller rooms for children's Sabbath Schools. We found just the right place in Sanepa, a suburb of Kathmandu."

Soon Pastor Shultz had a congregation of Christian and non-Christian English-speaking people. As well as introducing Bible doctrine, Shultz shared the joy of becoming a Christian. Priya and her cousin, Asish, decided to give their hearts to God and asked Pastor Shultz if they could be baptized. "These two precious youth became the first members of our Sanepa Seventh-day Adventist Fellowship," says Shultz.  "And more baptisms will follow when the water in the river warms up this spring."

Priya wants to be a pastor. The Southern Asia Division has given her a sponsorship to Spicer Memorial College in India so she can receive her bachelor degree in theology. She will begin classes in June.

"The Sanepa Seventh-day Adventist Fellowship is very happy to have youth like Priya who have a desire to witness for Jesus in Nepal," says Shultz."
 

By Laurie R. Falvo

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Pastor Charles Shultz and his wife Elizabeth have been missionaries in Nepal several times through the years. Most recently Charles was the secretary/treasurer of the Nepal Field. Elizabeth has served as the director for Sabbath School, and women's, family, and children's ministries. In 1969 Charles was the only Seventh-day Adventist pastor in Nepal serving at the only Adventist church in the country located at the Adventist hospital in Banepa.  

Your weekly mission offerings and world budget offerings help support missionaries, such as the Shultzes,
and evangelistic work all over the world. Thank you for your support.
 

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Spinning Cotton,
Cameroon

Cotton is grown in Northern Cameroon. It is picked by hand, then the seeds are taken out by hand. It is then spun into thread with this drop spindle and woven into small strips of cloth about an inch wide. These strips of cloth are then sewn together to make a robe that is worn at special occasions or for a man’s burial. 

This photo was taken by the Shanks, medical missionaries to Cameroon, West Africa. To read their blog, click here. 

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