Historia de V. Michelle Bernard
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“‘The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you’” (Deut. 7:7–8, NASB).
When I was 7, I had been in and out of hospitals multiple times trying to find answers on how to correct severe congenital birth defects that affected my hands and feet. Now I was on a stage at a major university medical center, complete with spotlights and about 30 adults around me wearing white jackets—presumably doctors, researchers and interns. A professor got up and listed the great qualities I possessed. Good grades in school. Socially well-adjusted. Loving home. Then the show really started, at least for me.
“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24, NIV).
There are times when believing does not come easy for me, because too many people that I care about hurt too much to let believing come easy. People close to me get cancer and die. My friends’ marriages turn into battlefields. God does not seem to do many miracles for my crowd.
But people in my little orbit are just starters. All those starving children I pray for around the world keep on dying, and the oppressed people I pray for keep getting their heads banged and their freedoms choked. I know we make many of our own miseries. I am only admitting that when I believe that God really cares, there are a lot of hurts that suggest He does not seem to care enough.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Prov. 3:5–6, KJV).
Many times throughout my life, I have followed these passages, and the Lord has led me in the right path.
Several years ago, I lived in a mobile home that, unbeknownst to me, was affecting my health. I had been dealing with pneumonia for several months. One day, I saw an ad for an apartment and prayed for the Lord’s leading. I was able to sell my mobile home, and I moved into the apartment. I have not had pneumonia since!
“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26, NKJV).
“This can’t be happening to me!” I said. The doctor’s diagnosis hit me like a ton of bricks. I was suffering from a painful illness that was spreading aggressively. In spite of this distressing news, I remained optimistic that surgery was still an option.
Unfortunately, I awoke from that first surgery only to be confronted with more dismal news. There was nothing they could do for me! Naturally, I started to blame myself because I knew something was wrong years ago, but I ignored all the warning signs, choosing to bear the pain silently.
Story by Corinne Kuypers-Denlinger, Adventist HealthCare
Story by Evan Knott / Video by Melvin Donadelle
When a local non-profit organization supporting homeless men in Salisbury, Md., needed a new location for its winter shelter, Chesapeake Conference's Park church decided to lend a hand.
Hands and Hearts Ending Homelessness (HHEH) was founded 18 years ago after three men froze to death in Salisbury. The organization partners with the city government and area churches of different denominations to aid homeless men in the city.
For the last three years, the director of HHEH has been Walter Davidson, a member of the Park church. When HHEH needed to find another location for the shelter this year, Davidson reached out to his home congregation right away.
Story by V. Michelle Bernard
On January 1, longtime pastor and evangelist José Espósito Forciniti will begin serving as the assistant to the president for evangelism at the Columbia Union Conference.
“Why is evangelism important? Because sharing Jesus is the biggest joy of being a Christian,” says Espósito. “It gives purpose to the church. The role of the church is to be centers of hope, God’s hospital where Jesus—the Great Physician—can heal human beings from the spiritual crisis that is destroying them. The role of each brother and sister is to be ‘Jesus’ nurses’ who can assist God in treating the sick with affection, friendship and rejoicing in the miracle of their spiritual healing.”
The last couple of years have been especially hard, given the pandemic, political strife and natural disasters. In times like these, it’s really easy to get stuck in a pattern of pessimism and overlook the many blessings in our lives. In our humanity, we often notice the prose, yet miss the poetry. We marinate in sorrows, but gloss over gifts. We dwell on past hurts instead of present hope.
Indeed, our world is steeped in sin. The devil attacks relentlessly, seeking to destroy us. But Jesus already claimed the victory, and we know that, in the end, the sword of judgment will be overshadowed by His scepter of mercy.
In the meantime, as we live through this great controversy, how can we cope?
Story by Visitor Staff / Images by Stephen Frimpong and Kwame Abrah, WGSDAC
Last Sabbath, December 11, Emmanuel Asiedu, Columbia Union Conference treasurer, was recognized for his ministry through ordination at his home church, Chesapeake Conference’s Washington Ghanaian church in Columbia, Md.
Leaders from around the union and country gathered at the event to affirm the ministry of Asiedu, his wife, Annette, and their daughters, Azaria and Anneliese.