Blessings from the past, Hope for the Future

As we look forward to a New Year ahead, it’s good to take a moment and reflect on the blessings of the year past. One of the greatest blessings we experience in GC Women’s Ministries Department is the joy we receive when traveling the world, visiting our sisters in many countries, learning from them, being blessed by their testimonies, hearing about the strength, hope and courage that God gives them while going through many difficult trials.

In our office we do all we can, with God’s guidance and strength and your prayer support, to help our sisters through various WM projects and our WM Scholarship Program. What we do, we do a s a team, in our office and working with our WM sister-leaders around the world. 

We thank God for your continued support but also for all the work done by every woman who gives of herself selflessly to help someone else. As we help each other, we are truly showing God’s love and that love is one that heals and draws others to Him.

We claim a blessing for you and your families from each of us at GCWM department – “For in You, O Lord, I hope;  You will hear, O Lord my God” (Psalm 38:15).

With love and joy,

Heather-Dawn Small

GC Women’s Ministries Honors Women of the Year

 
Eugenia Giordano and Donna Jackson received Women of the Year 2012 awards at the dinner for women members of the GC Executive Committee during Annual Council. Heather-Dawn Small, GC WM director, and Raquel Arrais, GC WM associate director, wrapped both women in shawls to represent the love and respect earned from people around the world.

Eugenia Giordano, M.D.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Eugenia is associate director of the Adventist AIDS International Ministry located in South Africa. Her husband, Dr. Oscar Giordano, serves as director. The couple was called as a team ten years ago by the General Conference (GC) to organize and lead this ministry.

The focus of Eugenia’s work is on Women, Youth, and Children. She has established programs in 54 cities of 25 African countries, including the Grandmothers’ Training Center in Lesotho which is sponsored by the GC Women’s Ministries (GCWM).

Prior to this Eugenia worked as physician in several countries of Africa while also holding many positions in medical administration. She was medical officer and head of the Medicine general ward at Mugonero Hospital in Rwanda making daily rounds with nursing students to 104 hospital beds, in addition to being in charge of the hospital’s outpatient clinic with 60-80 patients per day. She was head physician in an ADRA Clinic in Burundi assisting refugees from Rwanda, while also providing leadership to several community-based health care initiatives, before being called back to be in charge of Mugonero Hospital at the beginning of the genocide in Rwanda. Immediately following the Rwanda war, she and her children were evacuated to Kenya while her husband was still on duty in Burundi. Later in Madagascar, Eugenia was medical director of the Adventist Outpatient Clinic in Antananarivo, giving her opportunity to interact with a large number of patients, and also to organize medical-evangelistic outreach programs in rural areas.

Eugenia received a Doctorate in Medicine from the National University of La Plata, Argentina, and a Master of Public Health from Loma Linda University. Eugenia and Oscar met when they were 15 years old and have been inseparable since then, studying, graduating from medical school, working together as missionary doctors, and raising four daughters. She has a passion for Jesus, her family, and the medical profession.

Donna Jackson

Born in British Columbia, Canada, Donna serves as the North American Division (NAD) Ministerial Spouses Association Leader. Her husband, Pastor Dan Jackson is the president of NAD. Prior to this, she was the SDA Church in Canada Women’s Ministries Liaison Coordinator and the Family & Women’s Ministries director of the Ontario Conference.

Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with the help of many gifted lay people, Donna initiated several new ministries in Ontario, such as: Women in Mission, Young Women’s Ministries, Teen Pregnancy Prevention/Intervention, Singles Ministries, and Grief to Wholeness. She has worked for social services organizations, such as Suicide Prevention Services, Catholic Social Services and the government of British Columbia and in inter-denominational community projects for people at risk.

Donna was educated at Spicer Memorial College in India and at Canadian University College in Alberta. In addition to Canada, India, and the United States, she’s lived in Sri Lanka and served in short-term projects in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya.

Her love for music led Donna to serve as organist in various Protestant churches over the years, providing close relationships with God’s other flock. She enjoys reading, astronomy, cosmology, and hiking in nature. Donna relished being a pastor’s wife for most of the 23 years her husband was in pastoral ministry and being educated by their two daughters and one son. She has loved Jesus ever since she can remember.