We Can with God
We Can with God
South Pacific Division
Mardlyn Francis was the assistant Women's Ministries (WM) leader of her church in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG). In PNG the WM directors train the local church leaders in small group ministry.
Mardlyn decided to help three women in her village learn how to read. Since she had no books to teach from, she used her Bible. After the first lesson, she asked each lady to bring a friend for next time, which they did. Mardlyn challenged the six to bring six more women next time. Then there were12 learning to read and write from the Bible.
When a lady had difficulty understanding, Mardlyn asked all to make a circle around her, hold hands, and pray that the Holy Spirit would help her understand.
Mardlyn wanted to change her village, where most men sit around drinking and playing cards, so after much prayer and Bible study she encouraged the women to invite their husbands. The small group grew to 34.
A teacher from a nearby primary school heard of Mardlyn's class and offered the use of aclassroom and any help he could offer.
When she began the literacy class, her church family disapproved, saying her independent ministry was against church rules. Some started ugly rumors, but Mardlyn didn't get discouraged. Someone reported her to the church pastor; after they talked, he encouraged her good work.
With the encouragement of her pastor and her conference WM Director of, Jeanette Egu, she continued in spite of rumors and threats from church members. After praying, Mardlyn decided to forgive her brothers and sisters. But her students, now more than 100 and none of them Seventh-day Adventists, decided, as is the custom in the Highlands of PNG, to attack those spreading rumors. Fortunately, Mardlyn was able to convince these people to forgive. Because of her prayers and attitude, a disaster was averted.
However, she and her students were chased out of the school. Miraculously, they found a vacant lot and set up a canvas shelter, but a strong wind tore the canvas. These people have no income except from selling vegetables. They sacrificed to buy timber and a few iron sheets to build a small shelter. When people saw this, more joined and the group kept growing. Three times they had to expand their shelter.
More than 400 have joined the church through Mardlyn's literacy school. Please pray for Mardlyn and for all women using their gifts to spread the Gospel. We all can—with God.
Focus on the News
Focus on the News
WARM HANDS PROJECT
Euro-Asia Division (ESD)
Since 2006
the ADRA project "warm hands and warm feet" has operated in Siberia. ADRA
provides yarn, and the women in our congregations knit socks and mittens for
children in rehabilitation centers or orphan homes. The women and youth visit
these centers where they 
conduct Christian programs and then give out mittens
and socks. Our sisters have provided some centers with mittens and socks for
more than a year. Heads of these centers are very grateful. They say that
sponsors buy toys and video equipment. But children lose mittens and tear socks,
so our service is a great help.
“BREAD AND CEREAL" PROJECT
In
February, a program called "Bread and Cereal" was started in many
churches. Women take an active part by preparing tasty food. To start, advertisements
were printed, church members put them up, and on the first day six persons came.
(Twice as many staff members baked pies for the event.) Those who came were
dumbfounded at the respect shown them. The church members got acquainted with
the 
guests, and gave them packs of cereals, a loaf of bread, some pie, and tea.
The program
is both social and spiritual. Guests were invited to a film at the next
program. After the film, people asked questions on the theme. Each time a few
more people attended, though 
advertising was now just word-of-mouth. Within two
months, 25-30 guests were coming. The group has now grown to 60.
As Adventists we have a fine, practical message about health. When a person is fed and given a kind word, it may be the very thing to attract attention to the Bible. This program may not work quickly, but the funds are used, not for advertising but for people's needs. Some guests already wish to be baptized.
--Ludmila Mikituk, WM Director, Eastern Conference
A MINIATURE OF THE HEAVENLY BANQUET!
West-Central Africa Division (WAD)
Christians look forward to a great heavenly banquet. This inspired the Women’s Ministries Department of Togo Mission in Sahel Union to organize a program honoring older women in the church who have served the Lord through their ministries. More than 80 women were honored and given a certificate of appreciation. It was a time of great emotion as these women shared their personal testimonies. More than 200 Adventist and non-Adventist women attended. The occasion was chaired by a representative of the Minister of Women’s and Children’s Affairs of Togo Republic, who called the program a great encouragement for all women to faithfully carry out their duties.
This program has created enthusiasm to undertake various ministries, a greater longing for Christ’s coming, and great dynamism in Women’s Ministries activities.
Inspiration for You: Turn Failure into Success
Inspiration for You
Turn Failure Into Success
Tune in to Christ's message of hope. He has made you to be a success. He has a plan for your life. In His eyes you are a winner, a woman of great worth.
Christ can help you turn each failure into a success.
There are six positive things we can do with failure: acknowledge it; thank God for it; learn from it; use it as a stepping-stone to success; overcome it; transform it into an opportunity.
- Acknowledge it. Because of sin, all human beings experience failure. We fool no one when we pretend to be perfect. Confession of our failures allows for the grace of forgiveness and the opportunity for change.
- Thank God for it. The humiliation of defeat often proves a blessing by showing us our inability to do the will of God without His aid.
- Learn from it. Reverses will teach caution. We learn from our failures. Thus we gain experience.
- Use it as a stepping-stone to success. God trains some by bringing to them disappointment and apparent failure. It is His purpose that they shall learn to master difficulties.
- Overcome it. All failure is not sin, but all sin is failure. Jesus came to earth not only to die for our sins, but also to show us how to overcome them. The methods He has given us are Scripture, the Holy Spirit, prayer, song, and the ministry of angels. He will give strength to try again.
- Transform it. It is possible to turn a defeat into victory. Sometimes all that is necessary is just a change in the way we look at things.
The successful Adventist woman will see a possibility in every failure. She will seek, by God's power, to transform that failure into success.(Source: WM Leadership Certification Level 1.)
Open Secrets of Life's Success
- True faith and true prayer--how strong they are! They are the two arms by which the human suppliant lays hold upon the power of Infinite Love.
- Faith is trusting in God, believing that He loves us and knows what is for our best good. Thus, instead of our own way, it leads us to choose His way. In place of our ignorance, it accepts His wisdom; in place of our weakness, His strength; in place of our sinfulness, His righteousness. Our lives, ourselves, are already His; faith acknowledges His ownership and accepts its blessing.
- Truth, uprightness, and purity are secrets of life's success. It is faith that puts us in possession of these. Every good impulse or aspiration is the gift of God; faith receives from God the life that alone can produce true growth and efficiency. 2 Mind Character and Personality, p. 541
Faith is trusting that God is doing something.
Hope is trusting that God is doing something now.
10 Facts About Women's Health
10 Facts About Women's Health
While life expectancy is higher for women than men in most countries, a number of health and social factors combine to create a lower quality of life for women. Unequal access to information, care, and basic health practices further increase the health risks for women.
Discrimination on the basis of their sex leads to many health hazards for women, including physical and sexual violence, sexually-transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Tobacco use is a growing threat among young women, and mortality rates during pregnancy and childbirth remain high in developing countries.
This fact file highlights 10 key areas that have serious consequences for women's health:
- Smoking rates among men tend to be 10 times higher than for women.
- Of all adults living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, 61% are women.
- Between 15% and 71% of women around the world have suffered physical or sexual violence committed by an intimate male partner at some point in their lives.
- Studies show that up to 1 in 5 women reports being sexually abused before the age of 15.
- Even though early marriage is on the decline, an estimated 100 million girls will marry before their 18th birthday over the next 10 years.
- About 14 million adolescent girls become mothers every year. More than 90% of these very young mothers live in developing countries.
- Every day, 1600 women and more than 10,000 newborns die from preventable complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
- Insecticide treated nets (ITNs) reduce malaria cases in pregnant women and their children.
- In most countries, women tend to be in charge of cooking. When they cook over open fires or traditional stoves, they breathe in a mix of hundreds of pollutants on a daily basis. This indoor smoke is responsible for half-a-million of the 1.3 million annual deaths due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among women worldwide.
- Across the world and at all ages, women have a significantly higher risk of becoming visually impaired than do men.
WHO/H. Bower http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/women/en/index.html
April
7 World Health Day
The World Health Organization highlights one of its priorities as a world health issue each year. And the World Health Day sponsored by WHO is observed each year on April 7 to recognize this health issue. This special day was first designated in 1950, and each year has been dedicated by the WHO towards the achievement of the goals of the global health issue. Various activities and programs are planned to create awareness of the specific health issue. To learn more about the 2011 World Health Day, go to: www.who.int/world-health-day
Prayer Corner
- For women who are facing health issues
- Praying for women in Egypt
- For the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
- For Heather-Dawn Small's travel to EUD and TED
- For Raquel Arrais' travel to SPD
Calendar
7 April - World Health Day
