Um Jawasir, Sudan - The little-known 30,000-strong Hawawir tribe, living in the dry Sahara Desert region of the Northern State of Sudan at Um Jawasir, was seriously affected when the drought of 1980 struck. When most of their wells dried up and many herders lost all of their animals, the Sudanese government brought this pitiful condition of these herders to the attention of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). With the assistance of ADRA Norway, ADRA was able to do an assessment of the situation and with NORAD (The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation) funding began drilling the first 4 wells to a depth of almost 200 meters. Through the years a total of 16 wells were drilled into an underground aquifer.

The children’s and women’s ministries leaders from eight churches in Khartoum gathered for a series of revival seminars which taught them how to be effective leaders, how to increase their self esteem, and, ultimately, how to utilise their talents for effective evangelism across all age groups.

After more than thirty years of political instability in Lebanon, a refreshing atmosphere of reconciliation between the various factions has consequently attracted a record number of international students to the summer intensive programmes hosted by Middle East University (MEUni) in Beirut.

Two weeks of intensive evangelistic campaigns across five towns in the troubled region of Darfur, have seen 32 members get baptised and accepted into the membership Seventh-day Adventist Church in Sudan.

In the serenity of nature and in sight of the glittering Mediterranean Sea, the Seventh-day Adventist owned, Middle East University opened its hillside campus gates to more than thirty children for a ‘Peace Camp’. The theme of the 12-14 September weekend camp, “Peacemakers” was based on the Bible verse found in Matthew 5: 9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God."

The grim faced doctor stepped out of the room and faced the anxious family. Words raced through her mind, words she had to say all too often. This was the part of her job she hated. “Daniel isn’t doing well,” she intoned, trying to be empathetic and yet desperately needing to distance herself somehow from yet another tragedy. “He is in a coma, and on a ventilator. We have done all we can but we don’t think he will live more than an hour or two. You should call his wife and children to come and prepare for his funeral.”

Sabbath 13 September was a special one for the Seventh-day Adventist Church members of Khartoum, Sudan who came together in large numbers to worship God and meet church officials from the organisational headquarters of the Adventist Church in Maryland, USA.

A two-floor ministry centre named, “Meeting Point”, has been opened in Limassol, Cyprus, with its mission to attract the cosmopolitan inhabitants of this seaside resort town to community-oriented programmes and socially affirming activities.

A successful evangelistic outreach event for children, lasting five days, was held in Beirut this summer between 30 June – 4 July. One hundred and twenty children attended the ‘Bug Safari’ Vacation Bible School (VBS) programme. Among this group of children, 80% were from non-Adventist backgrounds.

So far this year, five young people made the wonderful decision to accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour and were baptised in their local church in Lebanon. Another five teens are preparing for baptism in the near future.