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PAKISTAN: POLICE GUARDING CHURCHES

le Kendel, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Pakistan, said "the government has offered police protection to all churches, and the reports from our pastors in the various villages say that police guards are in place outside our church buildings during all meetings."

All Seventh-day Adventist expatriate personnel were withdrawn from Pakistan in September, following advice from Pakistani authorities who continue to maintain that any expatriate presence poses a danger to the local communities.

The Christian community that makes up two percent of Pakistan's population has been greatly threatened since the war on terrorism began. A report in the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service on November 7, 2001, states that police are guarding Christian churches as they worship.

"Our community is under siege," said Nazir Michael, pastor of Quetta's Adventist Church, quoted in the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service report. "We are citizens of Pakistan, but they say our Bible is tainted. We have to lower our eyes and tolerate this, or we'll be in trouble."

According to Kendel, who is in regular contact with Adventist church leaders in Pakistan, the intimidation and daily fear among all Christians in the country has increased, especially for the many who live in well-defined areas of villages called the "Christian Colony" or "Christian Town."

"I praise God for their courage to even meet and worship under such circumstances," Kendel said. "Our daily prayers are for their protection and for God's comfort in these uncertain times." --Adventist News Network

Two Adventists Perish in November Airline Crash
Two Adventists, Augusto and Guadalope Peralta, were among the 260 people on board the American Airlines flight from New York bound for the Dominican Republic when it slammed into a residential area of Rockaway on November 12.

According to Greater New York Conference (GNYC) secretary G. Earl Knight, it has been confirmed that the Peraltas died in the crash. The Peraltas were members of the Spanish Haverstraw Adventist Church in the GNYC. Pastor Ruben Merino ministered to the family members at the family center set up at J. F. Kennedy Airport, reports Celeste Ryan, assistant communication director for the North American Division.

Loma Linda Physician Cycles Across America
Randy Schell, an anesthesiologist at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, battled bad weather, disrespectful drivers, dead animals, horrible smells, and a host of other obstacles on his country trip from Anacortes, Washington, to Bar Harbor, Maine.

Schell cycled 4,300 miles to raise more than $25,000 for the Unforgettable Foundation, a Loma Linda-based organization that provides financial help to area families who cannot afford their children's burial costs.

Schell's wife and son followed the biker in a rented motor home. He used up all of his accumulated vacation days for a period of two years to make the fund-raising trip across America.

ADRA Awarded $3.6 Million for Child Survival Grants
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded two Child Survival Grants worth $3.6 million USD to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA) for implementation in Cambodia and Nicaragua. ADRA supporters have already provided the matching funds stipulated by USAID.

"ADRA's child survival programs mean the difference between life and death for thousands of hurting children," states Ralph S. Watts, Jr., ADRA International president. "ADRA's donors have consistently provided the support needed to continue to meet USAID's rigorous requirements."

The projects will benefit more than 114,000 women and children affected by extreme poverty. Malnutrition, diarrhea, and vaccine-preventable diseases contribute to high death rates for children in these two areas.

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