The first is a large island and the other two are continental countries where two European languages are spoken; French in Madagascar and Portuguese in Mozambique
and Angola.These three nations are included in what are considered to be the poorest
countries in the world. Whether it is because of wars or natural catastrophes,
the majority of the people in these countries live in unbearable conditions for any human being, in respect to: nutrition,
housing, education, hygiene, security
and hopes for the future. Angola has lived under civil war for more than 15 years and though it has declared peace several times, it is in a constant state of insecurity, because of roaming armed bands that circulate this region. A year ago, Mozambique, underwent a terrible flood of unbelievable
proportions that 1/3 of the country still finds itself submerged under water. As a result the entire country could declare
itself a catastrophic zone. In Madagascar
a great part of the island has eroded because of tree felling and since there are no highways, this hinders the development of the country. Some of the more pressing problems in this area are: extreme poverty, undernourishment, illiteracy
and malaria.The work structure in these three countries is relatively new. It is only in
the last twenty years that the work has been firmly established in Angola and in Mozambique. Whereas in Madagascar only in the last year. If this recent time frame is taken into consideration, it is obvious that the needs of these fields are very basic. They need churches or buildings
to assemble for worship, and above all reading material in their native languages
so that the work of saving souls may rise to greater prominence. Fields supervised by the General Conference CommitteeThe countries of Congo, Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria are under the supervision
of the General Conference Committee, and form the fourth region of the African Continent. The distinctive
qualities that characterize these countries such as: the fairly new organized
structure in some places, or the administrative
condition in others, made it necessary to place these countries under the direct responsibility of the General Conference.The Democratic Republic of Congo, previously known as Zaire, has suffered unbelievable political and structural revolts
in the last few years, this has directly
influenced the condition of the work of God in this country. It is one of the African
nations with a greater geographical
extension where 95% of the population
is Christian. The official language is French, although its own dialects are also spoken.In the Cameroon Republic one can find English, French and Native dialects in close proximity. The establishment of the Reform Movement is relatively new in this country, where not even half of the population is Christian (only 40% are), 20% is Muslim and the remaining 40% have native beliefs.The Ghana Republic has 75 languages and dialects with English as the co-official
language. With the help of God the work is going forward in this country where 60% of the population is Christian.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria is 50% Muslim and 40% Christian. These facts offer a clearer picture of the problems
found within this country and the special treatment that must be dedicated to it.ASIAN CONTINENT
AND OCEANA “…so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus…” Acts 19:10In apostolic times the preaching of the gospel spread rapidly and our duty is to do likewise today, to proclaim before the world the news of the three angels’ messages.This continent has been divided into two regional areas: North and South. Oceana and the Pacific Islands are also included in the latter. Br. D. Ch. Kang is the regional representative of the following
countries: South Korea, Japan, China and Eastern Russia. The church was established in South Korea not too long ago and it has only been recently established in China. Contact is being maintained in North Korea through refugees, unfortunately, the strict communist
regime greatly hinders the official
entry of the truth in this country. However, interest for the truth is even greater now; in order to purchase a Bible it is necessary to pay the equivalence of ten months salary and the punishment for being found in possession of a Bible is death. Even though they are in this situation there are still faithful members in this country. South Korea is helping North Korea by sending Spirit of Prophecy
books, although it should be kept in mind that there are economic limitations in the South too.The brethren in China receive regular
visits by those responsible for South Korea, given that there are still faithful souls who are eager to hear the word of God. They meet in secret because the country is communist. Since the distances
are great in this large country, some of the brethren have spent half of their annual salary to buy their plane ticket,
______________________________
with the sole purpose of coming to wor-ship and hear the message of salvation for a few of days. In certain places there are groups who come together in num-bers of 20 or 30, in small houses in order to worship the Lord and avoid visits by the government.
In Eastern Russia, many new inde-pendent republics have arisen as a re-sult of the division of the former Soviet Union. In some of them the work of God is well grounded while in others there are only some isolated souls. Some come into contact with each other through sys-tematic evangelism; hence, it is essential to make funds, personnel and literature available, to present the last message of grace successfully to those souls who are waiting for a Saviour. The situation is very similar in Japan where the work has just begun, there is great need of fi -nancial help as well as personnel who are qualifi ed to do missionary work. All of these factors must be urgently taken into account.
The development of the work throughout Asia, needs our earnest prayers request and should receive special offerings, in order to help the inhabitants of this country who need special care.
The region of Southern Asia is com-prised of Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. The Pacifi c includes: Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacifi c Islands. This territory and its di-visions are under the supervision of br. A. Salaviov.
The Philippines is the founding coun¬try in Asia, in regards to the Reform Movement. Since 1964 the fi rst pioneers came and the work of God was fi rmly es-tablished, from here, it extended to Indo¬nesia around the 1970s. The Philippines and Indonesia (f orming two great archi-pelagos with thousands of islands), have different religions, languages and cul¬tures, which makes communication and the spreading of the gospel diffi cult. Yet, by the grace of God, in the Philippines there are members active in canvassing work who stand fi rm in the truth and are growing spiritually, winning souls
for the heavenly kingdom.
In Indonesia more then half of the population belongs to the Muslim re¬ligion that is found in innumerable is¬lands, which hinders the preaching of the gospel. Nonetheless, the brethren re-main faithful to the Biblical principles and heaven's blessings are seen in the increased number of converted souls for Christ's sake.
India and Sri Lanka are countries that are similar in their ethnic customs, reli¬gion, and cul¬ture and by the grace of God His peo-ple are also represented amongst these nations. In India the ma-jority of our members are found in the southern part of the country, although there
are other groups in different areas. The main materials used when building the worship halls are bamboo, straw and adobe, thus it necessary to build church-es with better materials. Hindi and Eng-lish are the offi cial languages spoken in India, where more then 1500 languages and dialects are found throughout the country. The well known images people have about the extreme poverty of the greater part of the population should not leave us indifferent, since our brethren and sisters are also suff ering under these conditions, and they also need our help and fervent prayers.
Sri Lanka is basically divided into two ethnical groups, Tamils and Sin-ghalese, who often dispute over reli-gious, cultural or political reasons and are always in confl ict with one another. Our brethren are primarily found in the southern part of the island. The north

is partially occupied by the guerilla, yet we have faithful souls, with whom we have not been in close contact due to their present political and military situ¬ation. It is necessary to ask the Lord for help in the advancement of the work in this island, for the protection of His chil-dren and for spiritual and fi nancial aid from other brethren in the world at an



Trio from the Philippines. (From left to right) Brother J. Barnedo,
Sister S. N. Barnedo, Brother L. Jastiva.

international level.
The Reform Movement was intro-duced in Australia in the year 1938, but there are still many souls that are waiting.
EUROPEAN CONTINENT
The European Continent has suffered great changes in the last decade, as a result of the fall of communist regime, this in turn has caused the appearance of new countries and a change in bound-ary lines. War confl icts have developed in Central Europe, because of cultural, religious, ethnical intolerance, and un-balanced economy between the East and West, that have to a great extent transformed the image Europe projects to the rest of the world. Hence, the need for a fu ture project that will provide for a more extensive and versatile Europe.
____________________________

Consideration the new situation in Eu-rope, the countries have been grouped into four great regions.
The Scandinavian region is comprised of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Letonia, these are under the leadership of br. V. Mari-nov. This geographical area is very ex-tensive and like many other countries, it is in need of a catalyst, to promote active missionary work that will result in soul winning. Only our benevolent God, can work in such a marvellous manner, by furnishing these areas with zeal-

o us, steadfast workers that will earnestly labour for the truth, with the hope of reaching faithful souls that longing to hear the last message
o f grace to this world.
C entral Europe, is the
s econd region that cor-
responds to the countries
of: Germany, Switzerland,
Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands and

Great
Britain, these are under the guidance of br. T. Petkov. In this area there is an organized Union. The German Union, includes: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic, while the rest of the countries are missionary fi elds. The need for workers and
the economic recession are some of the problems that have to be faced in these nations, where divine direction and as-
sistance is necessary.
The region that corresponds to East-
ern Europe is very great, since it includes
European Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Yugoslavia. These countries will be visited and receive help from br. G. Hunger. In the
eastern European zone of Russia, many faithful souls are spread throughout the
whole country, these members meet in private homes, since they don’t have a church or a regular place of worship.
One of the most urgent needs of this country is to set up headquarters and
a place to worship. There is also a need for workers that can be moved to different places who will fervently work for
the winning of souls. In the Ukraine, the work of God needs to expand with greater speed and it is of utmost importance that literature and workers be sent there
to preach the present truth to those who
are waiting for a savior.
Moldova is one of the poorer coun-tries in Europe and it desperately needs
help and fi nancial assistance to sustain
missionary work. Romania, Bulgaria and
Hungary, are countries that have deep-
ly embedded reform roots and although
the church is well

established here, it is
necessary to counsel them and to fer-
vently co-operate together with them for
the advancement of the gospel. Yugosla-
via has suffered great changes in the last
years: the fall of communism, civil wars,
genocide, armed military intrusions by
foreign countries and an economic block.
The need for workers is most pressing
in this country, which does not have any at the moment. The South-eastern region in Europe is comprised of Portugal, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, and Turkey and their regional representative is br. A. Di Franca. In all of these Mediterranean countries
the church is fi rmly established with the
exception of Turkey, where missionary work has been renewed by sending a worker, who by the grace of the Lord, has found interested souls and some who are preparing for baptism.
The Reform Movement is represented
in 25 European countries, where there:
are churches, headquarters, health cen-
tres, and publishing houses, but the pe-
tition that is found on the lips of all is the need for workers and the means to sustain them. It is essential, to plead ear-
nestly to the Lord for help and guidance
to propel the work of the salvation of souls with zeal and unconquerable cour-
age. “Where there are two or more men
struggling to carry forward the different
branches of the cause, there should be
hundreds at work.”6T 24-26 This observation by the Spirit of
Prophecy is the consequence of the di-
vine declaration: “The harvest truly is
great, but the labourers are few: pray ye
therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he
would send forth labourers into his har-
vest.” Luke. 10:2. May this be our con-
stant prayer. Amen.

To understand the development of God's work, it is essential to become acquainted with the membership distribution among the continents. Almost half the members are from the American continent followed by Africa, Asia and fi nally Europe. This geographical distribution speaks for itself. Of the available property more than 50% are church buildings, chapels and meeting rooms. The number of Ministers and Church Elders is about the same, the number of Bible Workers and Can-i too.

Br. L. Watts, USA
Remember now thy Creator in the
days of thy youth.” Ecclesiastes
12:1. “Young men and young women,
cannot you form companies, and, as
soldiers of Christ, enlist in the work, putting all your tact and skill and tal-
ent into the Master’s service, that you may save souls from ruin? Let there be companies organized in every church to do this work.” –Signs of the Times, May
29, 1893. Under various names and differing kinds of organizations, our youth around the world are taking increasingly greater
interest in organizing themselves. This
movement, led by the Holy Spirit, will be a savor of life unto life both for those ministered to and for those who minister. The activities of the General Conference Youth Department during the past fi ve years–conducting seminars, visiting
and organizing conferences, counseling
youth leaders, and preparing materi-
als–have all been aimed at encouraging
this interest among the youth. It cannot be overstated: Our youth
need regular meetings to share their
faith, to have social fellowship, and to
receive training in the practical
duties of life, spiritual sharing,
and leadership. To meet this
and many other needs, the
Youth Department prepared
the Guidelines for Church
Youth Leaders to help bring
uniformity of action and
teach basic leadership prin-
ciples. Since it is designed
in a modular format, other
materials may be added to
the binder as they become
available. There are pres-
ently seven modules, with at

tached appendices, going from general to specifi c:
1. The scope of the youth work 2. Balanced education 3. Principles of Christian leadership
4. Training the youth as God’s messengers
5. Organizing for success
6. Local church offi cers
7. The support team (youth leaders in the Fields, Unions and General Conference) Binders containing the Guidelines have been sent to all the churches around the world which can understand English. They will also be made available in Spanish soon. Those individuals who wish to have their o wn copies can order them from the General Con ference Youth Department or IMS Publications. God bless the youth work now and in the coming years with a large measure of His Spirit!

Matthew 28 contains our march-ing orders. By following Jesus, our "pattern man," and working as He worked and with the same motivation, souls will be saved; and God, glorifi ed. With this focus, our needs and methods are clear.
Those who have experience are to teach and supervise the teachable-fi rst by giving them instruction, and then by providing opportunities for them to practice what they have learned.
After much prayer and cooperative work, the General Conference Com-mittee accepted a concrete plan and approved a Foreign Missons Program during its 1999 session. The vision for
this program is an army of well-trained men and women who are prepared to carry the gospel into new territories. Its mission is to preach the gospel through others-Teaching Others To Teach Oth-ers (TOTTO).
In harmony with the primary ob-jective to enable churches, fi elds, and unions to achieve greater spiritual, in-tellectual, and fi nancial maturity, the Foreign Missions Program Committee prepared a cross-cultural curriculum and held its fi rst international seminar in Ecuador from April to July 2001. Three
___________________________
of the 16 students have taken up posts in foreign missions (Belize and Madagas-car), while some are still preparing to go to other countries; all the rest returned to their previous locations with broader views of and greater appreciation for the work in their own areas. Everyone can help in this work in one form or another-as volunteers, organiz-ers, or contributors. Furthermore,
"Your prayers should go out, like sharp sick-les, with the laborers in the great har-vest field.... As young men go forth to preach the truth, you should have sea-sons of prayer for them. Pray that God will connect them with Himself and give them wisdom, grace, and knowledge.... Hold up their hands as did Aaron and Hur the hands of Moses." -Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 162.

Today people are absorbed and inter-ested in far too many things to have any time left to consider how serious is the time in which they live.
There are people who have to dig into the heart of the earth in search of water either to drink or for irrigation. Others make perforations hundreds of meters deep in search of oil-the famous black gold. There are others who move big masses of earth taking up every lump and scrutinizing it in search of a few grams of gold. Many days, months and even years are dedicated to this heavy and wearisome labour. Is it really worth it to use up so much energy? What is the result of all this? Often it is not very satisfying.
There are still those who research in space and send missiles to the moon and even to Mars. Our times may be called the era of research, but the research of what? We should ask ourselves whether it is the time for such things or whether it is really the time to seek the Lord.
The dangers around us
The world, due to man's sinful condi-tion, has become dry, hard and spiritu-ally barren. The closer we come to the glorious event, the more tempted we are to become more absorbed in our modern life.
Besides every man's daily duties, there are other things he does during the day that absorb a great part of his time, like reading newspapers and books which are not always edifying, taking trips, which result in a waste of time and money, watching vain programs on TV, engaging in conversations that are not always spiritual, hearing music which drives the Holy Spirit away, sitting for hours at the computer and searching the internet just for the fun of it. How much time remains for the Lord and for our sanctifi cation after all this?
When the television fi rst appeared in the market, people used to spend quite a
few hours watching different programs, now it is ever more absorbing and it has become an addiction to many people.
Soon after, a new gadget appeared the Walkman and later the Dis-cman which people carry ev-erywhere with them to listen to their favou-rite type of mu¬sic at all times. As if this were not enough, the computer came into the picture and it fascinates man in such a way that not only
the day but the
night hours are
spent in front of the screen using up the
time that belongs to the family and to
the Lord.
Next, the cell phone made its appear-ance and people cannot even take a step without taking it with them. Since, they may have to answer it when they are driving and even when it is time to sing and praise the Lord! What we should do with the Bible - carry it with us at all times-as is now done with this ap-pliance. How much time is left for the Lord in our daily lives?
„[Jesus] teaches that if the word of God fails to accomplish its work in our hearts and lives, the reason is to be f ound in ourselves. It is by resisting the Spirit that men become inattentive to or ne-glectful of God's word. They are com-pletely responsible for their hardness of heart that prevents the good seed from taking root, and for the evil growths that check its development. „The garden of the heart must be cultivated. The soil must be broken up by deep repentance


Brothers L. Watts (violin), P. Zaloznyi and V. Marinov (mouth organ) praising the Lord with music.

for sin. The soil once overgrown by thorns can be reclaimed only by dili-gent labour. So the evil tendencies of the
natural heart can be overcome only by earnest effort in the name and strength of Jesus" (COL 56).
Break up thefallow ground
We are urged to become cleansed of all iniquity and come back to the Lord in sincerity of heart, making changes in our life that will bring a true and deep reformation.
„Break up fallow ground, and sow not among thorns." Jeremiah 4:3. It is time to prepare the ground of the human heart and not to sow among the hard thorns of sin, on the dry ground of doubt and criticism. There is a beautiful promise for those who prepares their hearts to receive the Lord: „And ye shall seek me, and fi nd me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Jer 29:13.
„There is much perversity to be met, much thwarting of holy plans and con-secrated effort, because of the evil heart of unbelief... The soil is stubborn, but the
_______________________________
fallow ground must be broken up, the seeds of righteousness must be sown" (6T 420,2).
„One ray of the glory of God, one gleam of the purity of Christ, penetrat-ing the soul, makes every spot of defi le-ment painfully distinct, and lays bare the deformity and defects of the human character... his spirit is stricken and af-fl icted under the searching infl uences of the Spirit of God. He loathes himself as he views the greatness, the majesty, the pure and spotless character of Jesus Christ. When the Spirit of Christ stirs the heart with its marvellous awaken-ing power, there is a sense of defi ciency in the soul, that leads to contrition of mind, and humiliation of self, rather than proud boasting of what has been acquired" (RH Oct. 16, 1888; Refl ecting Christ 63;)
Immutable love.
Ayoung couple, after their marriage cer-emony, wanted to go to an island on their honeymoon. During the trip, a terrible storm arose on the sea. The ship was damaged and they suffered shipwreck. Some passengers died, others survived, some were dispersed and there was no news about them any more. The bride suffered very much and remained with a disfi gured face. She found help in a village and stayed there for many years.

Havinglosther beauty, she was convinced that her husband would not love her anymore so she did not bother to search for him and preferred to live alone and remain anonymous.
On the oth-er hand, with much love and great expecta-tion, her hus¬band wished
to know what Delegates' meeting hall: Brother P Kanagarajah delegate from Canada
had happened
to his beloved spouse; he asked every-where for information, but nobody could
tell him anything. Was she still alive? Where was she? After many years, he decided not to wait any more and asked a detective to search for her. The nurse who had assisted her, remembered her case, so that after some time it was possible to fi nd out where she was living. Without her knowing it, a feast was organized to which her husband was also invited. Here he met the chosen one ofn his heart and took her home to a very rich palace. Ours is a similar case, we try to hide from God be-cause sin has deformed us and we believe


Delegates from the South Union (Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) during a break. Br. J. Fornataro,closer, and Br. A. Becerra, behind.



Delegates´ meeting hall: Brother P Kanagarajah delegate from Canada
and Brother J Sunil, Sri Lankan delegate.

Sow righteousness

Our nature is like fallow ground, full of all kinds of tares and thorns, our thoughts, feelings, words and actions are hard, wild, dry. We cannot cultivate righteousness and sin together. Sin must fi rst be uprooted! The Lord will not save us in sin, „for he will save his people from sin" Mt 1:21
There is a Latin proverb that says: „verbus volant", „words fl y" (and are forgotten) but this is not true in all cases. According to God's teaching, „words" remain and produce an effect, they are like a „seed" which sprouts, grows and multiplies itself, sometimes even among big stones?
It is a natural law that we harvest what we sow, therefore, what we sow in the present is what we will fi nd in the future. But, what can grow in a fi eld full of thorns and tares? Not much, the little gentle plant is soon choked by the rapidly growing tares.
As spiritual sowers, we should sow the righteousness that Christ imparts to us into the heart of others.
Sow righteousness, holiness, faith-fulness and with your own behaviour spread a good seed which will bear the fruit of righteousness.
If we conform our life to Christ's ex-ample and sow righteousness in the life of others, we will receive a sure reward. „... to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward." Prov 11:18
_____________________________

Showers of righteousness
Is righteousness a human product or a gift from heaven?
While going through a process of ref-ormation by preparing the ground of the heart f or the good seed, man has to look to heaven in order to receive the rain of God's blessings so that the seed may grow and ripen.
Righteousness comes down from heaven like a gentle rain. The Lord sends it to our barren heart in order to produce the fruit of righteousness within us. The knowledge of the Lord brings lif e and re-freshment like the rain to all plants and to the earth. Hos. 6:3
Those who are thirsty will receive abundant spiritual water, the refresh-ing outpouring of the Holy Spirit in their life Isa. 44:3-4.
If we seek the Lord with all our heart, He will own us as his people. Hosea 1:9; 2:23.
A shinyjewel in the Lord's hands.
Brothers A Ngwenya (Zimbabwe) (front),
S. Ngoboka (Ruanda) and L. Jastiva (Philippines) (seated right).
I was in a jewellery shop, standing next to two gentlemen who were talking about different precious stones. I paid more attention to what they were saying than to what they were actually buying. I saw one of them pointing to a jewel which was not attractive at all. His f riend did not fi nd it attractive either because he said: „It is not a precious stone." With-out paying any attention to his friend's comment, the gentleman took the stone in his hand and closed his fi st; when he suddenly opened his hand, the stone was very shiny and it refl ected all the



Brothers A Ngwenya (Zimbabwe) (front),
S. Ngoboka (Ruanda) and L. Jastiva (Philippines) (seated right).
colours of the rainbow.
Very astonished, I went near him. „How is it possible?" was my immediate question. „This is an opal", he immediately, explained „one of those stones that needs to be warmed up in the hand in order to shine."
When the most gloomy Christian life comes in con-tact with God's love, it reveals a beauty that will praise the Lord and possess an inalien¬able value for God's church. This is what we will become in God's hand!
Why seek the Lord?
• It is time to seek the Lord because we
have nothing good in ourselves. Ro-
mans 7:18
• It is time to seek the Lord because He
is the source of love, righteousness,
holiness and salvation and He in the
only One who may change our life.
John 3:29, 1John 4:8.
• It is time to seek the Lord because a
time will come when we shall not be
able to retrace our steps and change
our condition.
• It is time to seek the Lord because he
calls a fi rst, a second, a third time, then
He keeps silent and we may not hear
his voice any more. Job 33:27-29
• It is time to seek the Lord and do our
work while it is day, because night
comes when it will be not possible
any more. John 9:4.
• It is time to seek the Lord because we
are rapidly nearing the end of hu¬man history. 2 Thessalonians 2:2; Mateo 24:33.
• It is time to seek the Lord be-cause the day will fi nish, the har-vest will pass and the summer will end. Jer 8:20.
Found after years
A couple had a child whom they loved very much and were educat-
The real problem is that the Lord is seeking and calling us, but we are reluctant to answer and fol-low him! The Redeemer has come to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10.


Delegates from Chile: Brother J.C. Rodriguez holding up a certificate and Brother J.E Quezada

ing to love the Lord. He was the pride and joy in that home, but one day the child went out and did not come back. The parents looked for him everywhere, but without results. In dismay, they re-ported to the police that their child was missing and the news appeared in the press. What could have happened to him? Had he fallen into a ditch or was he perhaps sick? Was he still alive? They spent days in anguish without any an¬swer, without any news! Months and even years went by and their hearts still longed for some sign of their be-loved child.
After many years, they received the news that some children had been found in an Indian camp, they had fallen in the hands of a tribe. The mother rushed to the place, looked caref ully at all the boys, one by one, anxious to fi nd her son, but she could see nobody who resembled him. She called his name loudly, but without results. She was in despair. Feeling very affl icted, as she leaving the camp, she got an idea all of a sud-den: to sing a song that she used to sing to her son when he was a little baby. At that moment, the mind of the boy was awakened, his memory was activated by the sweet remembrances of the past and he recognized his mother. „Mother, mother", he cried and ran to embrace her. Happy and moved to tears, she em-braced him back and took him home!
In a similar way, we also have been kidnapped from our beloved Father; we also have been trapped in the slavery of sin; we are also not able to recognize the voice and the presence of the Lord. Our Redeemer has come to the camp where
_______________________________
we are held prisoners and calls us per-sonally; He has done everything to be recognized by us and is still calling us with the sweetest melody of the Gospel of love. How many will answer to His call with joy today? How many will fol-low him?
Seek the Lord now
Seek the Lord,
• not men,
• not money
• notposition
• not human glory
• not power in this world,
• just seek the Lord
Seek the Lord while he may be found, while he is near. Isa. 55:6
• King Uzziah sought God and he pros-
pered. 2 Chron 26:5
• King Josias turned to the Lord and
became one of the greatest reformers
in Israel. Have we not the same mis-
sion? 2 Kings 23:25
• Also, in the greatest crisis of the last
days, whosoever calls unto Him will be saved. Act 2:21
• In seeking and knowing the Lord
there is eternal life. John 17:3
• He is not far from each one of us. Acts
17:27.
We are nearer to the coming of our Lord more than in any other genera-tion. What are we doing in order to come closer and live in daily commu-nion with Him?
Remember, therefore:
„Today, ifyou hear his voice, do not hard-en your heart." Heb. 4:7

Br. G. Hunger, Argentina

The main activity of the department has been to create a system to stimu-late our members in missionary work. The plans of the Big Brother and prayer cells were a great blessing. Many of our believers took the opportunity to be-come Big Brothers and made a commit-ment to pray and work for 10 people ev-ery day. In many countries this produced a real revival.
To help the work of laymen, numer-ous seminars were conducted and different materials were prepared, including manuals, pamphlets about missionary plans, and courses for beginners. We prepared a new Bible course, which is printed in two colors, containing 10 subjects relating to the three angels' messages, called "Third Millennium"; a course for Steps to Christ, a new manual for Bible workers to use in present-ing Bible studies with the felt studies; there is a new manual for Bible instruc-tors containing more than 400 pictures
to illustrate 30 subjects which help give a spiritual foundation to interested souls, who receive the same topics in the form of brochures.
A radio program in Spanish, "Messages of Friendship," was also prepared. A set of 5 CDs containing 55 different pro-grams have been sent 26 different loca-tions in North and South America for the purpose of broadcasting the message.
One of the most important achieve-ments in this period was the formation of evangelistic groups; for example, in the South Union of South America, a team of 30 young people was formed, which is supported by canvassing work. They receive regular training, work with adult and child evangelism, and stimu-late missionary work in the churches which they visit. May God bless those many wonderful young people who have devoted their lives to the Lord in the evangelistic groups.
We also have put forth efforts in dif-
ferent parts of East Europe to extend the work in Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakh-stan, Kirgestan and Turkey. Seminars were also conducted in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Students were prepared for evangelism in our missionary schools in Hungary and Colombia. Among the 40 different types of materials that have been prepared is a nice set of felts for child evangelism with the Old and New Testament stories. A nice video in Span¬ish titled, "Searching a Way," was prepared.
The department prepared full-color books to aid evangelism in different countries. Other Spanish books were prepared, such as Searching for Peace in a Turbulent World, presenting our entire message; Prophetic Foundation ofthe Last Church; and Outlines of Christ-Centered Lectures.
May God bring to fruit the seeds that have been sown-souls who fi nd peace and eternal life.

Br. H. López, Germany/Colombia

H T A hy art thou cast down, O my soul ? V W and why art thou disquieted with-in me? hope thou in God: for Ishall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." Psalm 42:11.
The close connection between mind and body, as well as between spirit and body, is presented in Scripture as both a supreme creation and a means for the restoration of human health. "To deal with men and women whose minds as well as bodies are diseased is a nice work. Great wisdom is needed by the physicians at the Institute in order to cure the body through the mind. But few realize the power that the mind has over the body. A great deal of the sick-
ness which affl icts humanity has its origin in the mind and can only be cured by restor-ing the mind to health." -Tes¬timonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 183.
The primary work of the General Conf erence Health De¬partment during the last fi ve years has been in service to and the administra-tion of the church's health principles at Kurhaus Elim in Nonnweiler, Germany. Doctor Hugo Arturo Lopez, from Colom¬bia, served there with his wife and also with Dr. Ferdinand Drof enik, who is still very healthy despite his advanced age. The system of healing at the Kurhaus is aimed at following the Biblical pattern


Kurhaus "Elim", Germany

by meeting the patients' spiritual needs while treating their physical ailments and then giving them good instruction on how to improve their life style.
These principles have also been shared with many others around the world, and many people are blessed and drawn to the wonderful ways of the God of heaven.


S. B. Watts, USA

In the past five years, more than 200 different editions of periodicals in

English, German, Span-ish, and French were produc In addition, the German and Spanish International Hymnals were completed and printed Publications for internal use included the Principles of Faith in four languages and the Church Manual in English, Spanish, and French. The Church Manual in Germán is cióse to completion.
In 2001, IMS Publications was found-ed as a commercial branch of the General Conference to permit the production and sale of books. Its fi rst book was the Himnario Internacional in two different bindings (trade and leather) with full notation and also an edition containing words only.
To meet the needs in numerous countries for books for the canvassing work, two small books-A Better Way to
Health and Nozo and Forever, one on health, and the oth-er about the gospel-have been published. A pilot project using these books has begun in South Africa, and it is planned to begin this work in other countries as well.
The Publishing Depart-ment maintains the Internet Web site for the General Con¬ference (www.imssdarm.org), which began in 1997. On the site, individuals searching the Internet can fi nd general information about the church, addresses and phone numbers from the headquarters in the countries, The Sabbath Watchman, and fi les of the Sabbath School Lessons that can be downloaded.
An Internet Web site for IMS Publi¬cations (www.imspublications.com) has also been established. In addition to of-fering products from IMS Publications

for sale, other publishing houses and departments of the International Mis-sionary Society are invited to submit descriptions of books that can be sold from the site.
Our prayer is that God will accompa-ny every publication with His Spirit.

S. R. Orce, Spain

"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour ofHis knowledge by us in every place." 2 Corinthians 2:14.

The Education Department fi rst began operation as a separate de-

 

partment in 1997. During this period, the activities of the department were divided primarily between teaching at Bethel Theological Institute in Hun-gary and at various seminars and the preparation of educational materials on specifi c subjects: History, Doctrine, Education, Family, Hermeneutics, and education of children, such as Sabbath School Lessons and illustrated books for small children.
In addition, audiovisual materials were prepared, as well as the basic level of a correspondence course, called Berea 1; and two additional higher levels are in the process of being completed. In ad-		 dition to providing the text for religious education for individual study and for use by fi elds and unions in worker train-ing, these courses are seen as suitable for preparation to attendance at a mis-sionary school, as well as for continuing education.
Besides its own teaching and train-ing activities, the Education Department joined the Foreign Missions Program for a three-month training seminar in Ecuador in 2001 to prepare families for service in foreign missions.
May God be with all who work to share both the burdens and the joys of education.