Focus on the News
Trans European Division (TED)
Sewing Machine School in Bosnia
Silvana Pažanin-Kostadinovi? is the Women’s Ministries
leader, in the town of Tuzla, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a town of about 200,000
inhabitants; but the local Adventist church has only 12 church members. The
youngest is over 60 years old and four of them have diabetes and regularly take
insulin.
Wanting to do more in this predominantly Moslem community, Silvana decided to start a sewing school with another church member, seamstress Jadranka Karišik, and five old sewing machines stored in the church. Eight non-Adventist women regularly attend the sewing course, seven of whom are Muslim. Every week, they learn and work, sing and share their life experiences. As the sewing course comes to its end, these women are invited to a new course on proper diet, and the WM leaders are inviting new students to the sewing school. Their motto is: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4: 13).
Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD)
Cambodia Women’s Ministries Training
In March the Cambodian Women’s Ministries Department trained
40 women from Phnom Penh City and 19 provinces. These were pastors’ wives,
church planters, literacy teachers, and church members.
Ruth Jackson, the Cambodia mission president’s wife, helped with the training. The teachers were Raquel Arrais (GCWM Associate Director), Helen Gulfan (SSD WM Director) and Sim Sew Moi (SAUM WM Director). Topics ranged from prayer, evangelism, and keeping homes clean to “Making Family Worship Easy and Fun.”
Sim Sew Moi brought new ideas that women could take back and practice in their family worship. She also taught the women about T-shirt appliqueing. At the end Pastor Jackson led a commitment ceremony.
Reported by Sim Sew Moi
Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD)
Leadership Training in Bangkok
It was a wish come true for 29 women who completed the last
four topics of the Women’s Ministries Leadership Certification Level 1, March 16,
at Thai Ekamai Hall, Bangkok.
The 92 attendees, mostly teachers from the Adventist international schools, institutions, and churches, were blessed to have four WM directors present during the one-day training: Raquel Arrais from the General Conference; Helen Gulfan, from the division; Sim Sew Moi from the Union Mission; and Hanna Detwinya from Thailand mission, who organized the event.
During the worship service at the Bangkok International Church, many more hundreds of worshippers were further blessed by Raquel Arrais’s powerful sermon on The Power of Love.
Reported by Sim Sew Moi
Inter-European Division (EUD)
Start With Jesus Now: Women’s Ministries Austrian Union Invitation to the Young Women
On 11/11 at 11 o’clock last year, the young girls of the
Austrian Union were invited for girls4 Christ by Gerd-Laila Walter, WM Director
of the Union. The theme “Mach dich mit Jesus auf die Socken,” means “Start with
Jesus now!”
Said one young participant, “We learned to count beans for every happy moment of the day” until they ran out of beans! The girls experienced how good healthful food can taste, and were allowed to express themselves as they wished and still be taken seriously. “One of the funniest things was the ‘sock-game’; we loved that!” said one participant.
In the afternoon there was time to think about what it means to have a close relationship with God, and that He forgives everything. “This day was precious to me, and I got courage to continue my way with God and to continue to trust Him,” said another. “We’re looking forward to our next girls4Christ meeting!”
Reported by Ines, a young participant.
