Dear brethren,
Reports are coming in of a very meaningful Passover and inspiring start to the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Area-wide family weekends organized for last weekend took place in Greenville, South Carolina and Frost Valley, New York with lots of spiritual food, fellowship and family-oriented activities. We were also grateful to hear that our brethren in Vanuatu were able to keep the Passover, Night To Be Observed and the First Day of Unleavened Bread in full attendance, with Mr. Graeme Hemphill (see full note below).
Dr. Meredith is in Houston, Texas, and Mr. and Mrs. Ames are in New England for the remainder of the Holy Days. Dr. Douglas Winnail is in Trinidad, and reports that the funeral for Mr. Fitzroy Greeman was very touching, with our brethren there showing deep love and respect for Mr. Greeman. Dr. Winnail will be in Trinidad for the Last Day of Unleavened Bread, and will be in Barbados for the Sabbath. Mr. Sheldon Monson, pastor in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area, was hospitalized earlier this week. It was found that he has a mass on his colon and lesions on his liver. Further tests will be done to determine if they are cancerous. Please earnestly pray for God's mercy and healing on behalf of Mr. Monson. Have a fulfilling and encouraging close to this year's Feast of Unleavened Bread.—RMc
Church Administration
Second Passover
The Second Passover this year should be taken shortly after sunset on Saturday, May 2. This Passover is for those baptized members who were unable to take the first Passover due to unavoidable circumstances. The biblical instructions regarding this ceremony are found in Numbers 9:1-14.
Vanuatu Update
Mr. Graeme Hemphill is still in Vanuatu, assisting brethren in the wake of Cyclone Pam. He is now on the southern island of Tanna, which took the brunt of the storm. Here is his latest report, dated Wednesday, April 8, 2015:
All of the aid recipients have been given funds. We still have to supply a tent in Port Vila and purchase seeds for people in Tanna. A widow here in Tanna broke her arm after the cyclone and lost some of the roof of her house during the cyclone. We visited a high school and an aid and distribution centre yesterday. Some of the schools have opened with students back in class. The ADF (Australian Defense Forces) fellows are doing a great job, flying in aid and assisting with distribution. The people here are living in what can only be described as very primitive conditions with campfire cooking and in some cases sleeping in the open. We are heading back to Port Vila tomorrow....—Graeme Hemphill
Please continue praying for the brethren in Vanuatu. The immediate calamity is past, but ahead of them lies a long road of rebuilding their homes and their livelihoods.
Frost Valley Holy Day Weekend
More than 200 brethren from the Northeastern U.S. and beyond gathered together in Frost Valley, New York this past weekend for Passover and the first part of the Days of Unleavened Bread. Nestled in the Catskill Mountains, the Frost Valley YMCA camp set the atmosphere for this year's theme of "Coming Out of Egypt." Highlights of the weekend included a most sobering Passover message given by Mr. Ken Frank, a group activity Friday morning on "Going Out with a High Hand" and breakout sessions throughout the weekend that helped to provide focus and vision for us as servants of God. After a delightful Sabbath brunch, the ladies went up to the "castle" for a traditional tea party. Mr. Frank delivered meat in due season Sabbath afternoon with an inspiring sermon in which he drew parallels between Israel coming out of Egypt and our own journeys to the promised land. After a delicious Sabbath dinner, brethren were entertained and reminded of God's deliverance of Israel in a performance entitled "The Journey Out of Egypt." Later that evening, everyone kicked up their heels at a Sock Hop. The weekend ended on a very positive high note Sunday morning with an inspiring message from Mr. McNair on "The Journey Ahead." A special thank you to everyone involved, including the staff at Frost Valley, who helped to make this event exciting, rewarding and most excellent! —Randall Moran
Internet Department
Roku Update!
Since we began our Roku advertising campaign on March 1, more than 5,000 new people have installed the Tomorrow's World Roku channel. Roku has been very impressed with the success of our advertising campaign so far and have commented that our ad response rates are "very high" compared to what they usually see. More than 50 percent of those who click on our Roku ads install the Tomorrow's World app, a much higher than average install rate. With more than 8,000,000 active Roku users in the United States and aggressive European, Asian and Latin American expansion currently underway, we are very thankful that God has opened up this new door to reach more people with the Tomorrow's World telecast, and the new Tomorrow's World News Webcasts. And, again, if you have a Roku, please install the Tomorrow's World app and give it a "5-star rating." This will further help our advertising efforts.—Wyatt Ciesielka
Feast of Tabernacles
Those Registered for Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
** IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ **
The Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feast site is closed for further transfers.
We have 195 people on the waiting list and we will not be able to approve all of their transfer requests, because of the size of the room. Therefore, we are beginning to issue transfer denials via e-mail. If you receive a transfer denial from the Festival Office and have a special circumstance (health problem, financial issue, etc.) that makes it necessary for you to attend Myrtle Beach, please send us an e-mail at [email protected] explaining your situation. We will do all we can to accommodate special circumstances.
If you receive a transfer denial from the Festival Office (via e-mail) and do not have a special need to go to Myrtle Beach (health, financial, etc.), please re-register at another Feast site of your choice. We still have room at a number of other sites (including Palm Harbor, Florida, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee).
We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
Closed Feast Sites:
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
St. George, Utah
Navarre, Florida
Living Youth Program
Online Teen Bible Study Friday Evening
The online Teen Bible Study on Friday evening, April 17, will be on "God's Approach to Making Decisions," presented by Mr. Sheldon Monson. If you haven't had the opportunity to join us for one of the online Bible Studies yet, we encourage you to do so. It is a wonderful way to start the Sabbath day.
The Bible Study runs from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. (Eastern time) and the chat room will be open for a half hour before and after the study. You can access this Bible Study at livingyouth.org. We hope as many of our youth as possible will join us for this wonderful opportunity for godly fellowship and learning. For those of you who are unable to make it to the study, archives of previous Living Youth Bible Studies can also be found on the Living Youth Web site.
Ohio Teen Camp Staff: Apply by April 19
Anyone interested in being on the Camp Staff for the Ohio Teen Camp needs to apply by Sunday, April 19, so staff positions can be assigned.
New Texas Preteen Camp Location
We have successfully secured a new facility for the 2015 Texas Preteen Camp—Lone Star Camp in Athens, Texas. Deep in the heart of the pine woods of East Texas, Lone Star Camp is a beautiful facility with air-conditioned meeting rooms, dormitories, cabins and even family housing—all within close proximity of each other—with plenty of bathrooms and showers in every building, along with basketball and volleyball courts, a 25-acre lake, and a playground for enjoying free time.
Camp Location: Lone Star Camp, 6829 FM 317, Athens, TX 75752, www.lonestarcamp.org
Camp Dates: June 14–19, 2015
Staff Arrival: Sunday, June 14, 2015, 10:00 a.m.
Camper Arrival: Sunday, June 14, 2015, 2:00 p.m.
Camper Departure: Friday, June 19, 2015, 9:00–10:00 a.m.
Staff Departure: Friday, June 19, 2015, 11:00 a.m. or when clean-up is complete
The most convenient airports to fly in and out of are the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) or Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL). Before finalizing any flight arrangements, please contact Lori Forrestier at [email protected] or 903-830-0198 so that we can help you arrange the best travel plan.
Questions regarding camp should be directed to Bob Rodzaj (Camp Director): 505-209-1497 (cell) or [email protected].
LYC 2014 Yearbook
Hot on the heels of the LYC 2013 Yearbook, Living Youth Programs is now taking orders for the 2014 Living Youth Camps yearbook. Orders will be taken until May 10. The yearbook covers the pre-teen camps in Texas, Missouri and West Virginia, the Ohio teen camp and the Yellowstone adventure camp. The yearbook for 2014 will be provided for free with a suggested donation of $35. For further details and ordering information, go to: https://camp.livingyouth.org/album-2014.
Comments
God Is Faithful: One of the striking themes of the Exodus story is the extreme negativity of the Israelites. They complained when they were in Egypt (Exodus 3:7). They complained when they were coming out of Egypt (Exodus 14:11). They complained when they had no bread (Exodus 16:3). They complained when they were given bread (Numbers 11:6). They complained against the authority of Moses, and tried to incite a revolution (Numbers 16:3). Others complained when God struck down those who had rebelled (Numbers 16:41). And they even complained when God told them to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 13).
Were they especially bad sinners? Of course not. The Apostle Paul shows that a spirit of negativity is a trap for all human beings—even those with God's Spirit! And thus, he wrote to the Corinthian church: "Nor let us... complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come" (1 Corinthians 10:9-11).
Paul then continued his instruction with one of the most encouraging passages in all of Scripture: "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).
As these Days of Unleavened Bread draw to a close, it is good to remember God's care and love for us. He does not condemn us for having difficulty with an obstacle. He knows what we're going through! And because He is faithful, He will always help us when we cry out to Him and seek His strength, mercy and deliverance. That is one of the enduring lessons of the Exodus.
Have an inspiring Sabbath,
Rod McNair
News and Prophecy—April 8, 2015
China's Growing Influence: China is making efforts to bring together its Asian neighbors as it seeks "to extend its influence in the region in a bid seen as a challenge to the previous dominance of the United States" (Deutsche Welle, March 28, 2015). At a recent Asian forum, China led the creation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)—an Asian alternative to the U.S.-led World Bank. Forty-four nations have applied to be founding members of this $50 billion financial effort (Big News Network, March 31, 2015), including South Korea and many European nations (Deutsche Welle, March 28, 2015). Setting the tone for the meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping "opened a regional economic forum by calling for more cooperation among Asian nations. He urged Asia to build 'a community of common destiny'" (ibid.). Although there is considerable unrest among Southeast Asian nations over North Korea and issues in the South China Sea, the initial success of the AIIB project shows there is worldwide interest in moving away from the U.S.-dominated financial system. The increasing efforts to bring together Asian nations also fits with ancient Bible prophecies that an end-time confederacy of Asian nations—"kings from the east"—will eventually move toward the Middle East with a large army (Daniel 11:44-45; Revelation 9:13-17;16:12). This type of military might is only possible with the inclusion of China and likely Russia. It is sobering to watch world events moving in the direction of fulfilling these ancient prophecies. For more information on China's future, read "Is This China's Century?"
California's Deadly Drought: "As California experiences the fourth year of one of the most severe droughts in its history, a senior NASA scientist has warned that the state has about one year of water left" (The Guardian, March 16, 2015). Jet Propulsion Laboratory's senior water cycle scientist Jay Famiglietti has observed, "California has no contingency plan for a persistent drought like this one (let alone a 20-plus-year mega-drought), except, apparently, staying in emergency mode and praying for rain" (ibid.). California leads the nation in the production of food and agriculture. Over half of the nation's fruits, nuts, and vegetables come from California, and the state is the leading dairy producer in the nation (CDFA, 2013-2014; Beach California). The state also produces virtually all of the nation's almonds, artichokes, dates, figs, kiwifruit, olives, persimmons, pistachios, prunes, raisins, clovers, and walnuts (ibid.). As water reserves are depleted even further, the impact on the U.S. food system will be felt far and wide. Bible prophecy indicates that severe drought is just one of the signs of the end of the age, and that it will come in large part because of the sins of the Israelite-descended nations (Leviticus 26:18-20; Matthew 24:7). For more on this topic, read "Droughts and Famines Increasing."
Severe Flooding in Chile's Desert: Late last month unusual rains hit Chile's arid region, causing widespread flooding. "The downpour began… in the Atacama region, home to the world's most arid desert, and lashed the area for hours, turning riverbeds that had been dry for years into torrents" (AFP, March 26, 2015). "President Michelle Bachelet said the downpour—equivalent to at least 10 times the previously drought-hit region's average annual rainfall—had caught authorities off-guard." (ibid.). "The interior ministry declared a state of emergency… and invoked a constitutional clause transferring power from the regional government to the military" (ibid.). The death toll from the flooding was 23, with 57 people missing, and over 22,000 displaced (NDTV.com, April 1, 2015). One sobering aspect of severe flooding in this extremely dry region of the world is that it comes as other traditionally fertile regions, like California, are in extreme drought. However, this phenomenon actually parallels a Bible prophecy in Amos which states "I also withheld rain from you, when there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, and where it did not rain the part withered" (Amos 4:7). These weather extremes were predicted thousands of years ago in the Bible and are signs of the coming "end of the age." For more insight into coming weather events around the globe, watch our telecast "God Controls the Weather."—Scott Winnail, Chris Sookdeo and Francine Prater