2017/18 Issue 3 - Adventist Looks Like...

THE BURMAN

CHRONICLE ADVENTIST LOOKS LIKE ...

I S S U E

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V O L U M E

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1 4 . 1 1 . 1 7

CONTENT 02 Editor’s Note

Rechelle-Lee Smith 03 Fist Bumps with Jesus

Angelica Cornejo 05 Being Adventist

Dani Page, Elisa Vital, Elsy Cornejo, Jessica Richter, Liliet Ramirez,

Nakeda McDonald, Mikelle Wile, Zahara McGann, Zorisha Peters

17

Adventist Cuisine Elsy Cornejo

19 Poetry

Jasmine Pickett, Kailey Smith

23 A Different Take

Kira Brüggemann, Kaylie Copeland

Layout Design by Jacqui McCarty

02

editor’s note Rechelle-Lee Smith

When I was ten, my non-Christian, Catholic school attending cousin came over for a visit. It wasn’t the first time she had come and I had fuzzy and warm memories of the last time she visited. However, when she came, it was an absolute disaster.

The first thing that I noticed was the gold crucifix around her neck. She might as well have been wearing the name Satan. I was appalled. You see, I was just getting into the swing of being a devout Adventist, and necklaces, much less ones with a crucifix, were sacrilegious. But I decided that I liked her and that it was not worth any religious debate. As the week continued, I continued to be appalled at her lack of regard for Jesus (she called His holy name on a regular basis), her appetite for bacon, and her Cartoon selection (it definitely wasn’t 3ABN or VeggieTales). I continued to be miffed at her disregard for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. However, I decided that my soul’s salvation was more important, and I looked towards the Sabbath. Surely she would have to keep the Sabbath.

She didn’t.

At first, she was okay. She woke up early with us and went to church, but she most definitely made the sign of the cross before and after prayer (I mean she couldn’t stop being a Catholic for the Sabbath?!).

I gasped audibly and glared at her from behind my wire glasses. She ignored me. I scribbled yet another one of her sins into my notebook furiously. When we came home, she went straight for the T.V. and began to watch yet another unholy cartoon on the Sabbath! To make matters worse, she took one of my very own secular books that I was not allowed to read from Friday at sunset to Sabbath at sunset. It was my favorite book too!

That was it. I marched up to the T.V., turned it off with an angry flourish, and grabbed the book from her little hands.

“How dare you,” I seethed, inches away from her terrified face.

She began to cry and ran upstairs to where her Grandma was resting. I sat on the couch, satisfied that I had saved yet another sinner from the gates of hell, where she was definitely headed before I came along.

Her Grandma came down and sat next to where I was perched on the couch.

“Rechelle-Lee dear, do you mind explaining why you grabbed the book?” she asked.

“She was breaking the Sabbath.” I said with as much authority a ten-year-old could muster.

“Okay well, what can she do, that is fun, on the Sabbath?” she asked.

I was stumped. The Sabbath wasn’t supposed to be fun. It was a day that you weren’t supposed to do anything because God said so.

In my ten-year-old mind, I realized that I honestly had no idea why anyone would want to keep the Sabbath other than this big scary being who was waiting to throw me into hell if I didn’t. I set out from that day on to learn about the Sabbath.

Since then, I’ve realized that people haven’t developed past where I was at ten, calling for fire and brimstone over concepts that they don’t understand. This issue is designed to helped those confused Adventists who have no idea about their history, why they claim to be Adventist, and what is so different about Adventists on a whole. Hopefully, this issue will shed light on why people do, or don’t, claim the Adventist Church and what being Adventist is all about.

fistbumps with Jesus Angelica Cornejo

04

it's quite simple, actually

One of my favourite things about reading Scripture is when the Bible tells you very deep truths and states them crystal clear like in Romans 2:11, “God does NOT show favouritism.” It can’t get clearer than that. Despite how clear Scripture can be, we humans have a nasty habit of muddying the clear waters and putting conditions on God’s word. For some reason being Adventist makes some of us Adventists less Christian. We tend to believe that because we go to church on Sabbath or because our diets are absent of meat we are better than the next Atheist, Buddhist, or even Catholic. I’m sorry if this devotional may seem like a nasty jab at your side but sometimes even we Adventists need a wakeup call.

I don’t know when it was that pride began to creep into our minds and make its home there but we need to get this fact … being called an “Adventist” doesn’t mean anything to Christ. I know this statement is bold and may make you want to stop reading this devotional but what I’m trying to say is that Christ doesn’t care about the title, He cares about the authenticity of your faith. Are you living what you preach?

Being Seventh-day Adventist does not earn us brownie points with Jesus. It doesn’t earn us any extra privileges nor does it give us a “one-up.”

Being Adventist simply means that we’ve been bestowed with the privilege of having the truth and have the responsibility of sharing it with people who don’t.

I mean, I get it … we humans like labels … they’re what we live for and they’re a representation of belonging to something. It’s fun because it’s like

we’re part of this exclusive club that lives and breathes haystacks and camp meetings. When we label ourselves “Seventh Day Adventist,” we acknowledge the fact that we belong to this worldwide denominational family and it’s a beautiful concept. But we can’t and shouldn’t draw such harsh boundaries and distinctions between “us and them” in this religious world. It’s clear. Jesus has no favourites – no favourite people, no favourite colour, no favourite gender, and no favourite religion.

This then means that as Adventists we shouldn’t believe that we stand on a higher pedestal than everyone else. We shouldn’t believe for some wild reason that “non-Adventists” won’t make it to heaven due to their lack of extensive knowledge of our doctrines or hymnal. Last I checked, there won’t be Seventh Day Adventists, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, or non-denominationals. In heaven, there will simply be children of God. Are you getting this?! It’s quite simple actually.

So, it’s time to take it back to the basics and ask ourselves, “Are we just wearing a title or are we actually living what we preach? Are we living like Jesus lived? Are we loving like Jesus loved? Are we acting like Jesus did?”

Because if we’re not doing any of these and we’re simply wearing a label, then something is definitely off.

Here to encourage you always, Angelica

being adventist

Service is an important part of our belief system as Seventh-Day Adventists. There are countless stories in the Bible that depict Jesus serving those in need and if we want to follow the example that He set for us, service is an integral part of emulating His actions. So, what are we as the SDA church in Canada doing to serve others?

One church in Langley, British Columbia, has a program called Acts of Kindness (AOK). This program offers many opportunities for service such as giving cars to mothers who desperately need them, serving breakfast at the local elementary school, giving free oil changes to single mothers, extreme home repair, and much more. The extreme home repair is the biggest form of service, bringing together over 200 volunteers, many local businesses, and community members to renovate a different individual’s house every year, giving them a safe and pleasant environment to live in.

Another great place doing service for the community is Greener Village, previously known as the Fredericton Food Bank. Their four main pillars are food bank and clothing boutique, teaching kitchen, community gardens, and education, but they do many other forms of service such as helping kids get school supplies, an income tax program, job skill building, and so much more. Each month they are able to help approximately 3000 people.

One other place that is doing great service for the community is the New Life Neighbourhood Center. I got to witness the impact of this place first hand, as I spent many years volunteering there. The New Life Neighbourhood Centre is based at New Life Church in Oshawa, Ontario.

The Neighbourhood Centre provides numerous services such as meal boxes, Christmas hampers, personal hygiene packages, baby packag-

es, care packages and several other food-related services. They also have an annual community barbecue and partner with DRIVEN to give counseling services to women who are victims of violence. Volunteering throughout the years, I was able to see so many changed lives due to the work of the Neighbourhood Centre.

Service is such an important part of being a Christian, and just generally being a good person. Though there are amazing organizations such as AOK, Greener Village, and the New Life Neighbourhood Centre serving those in need, there are still ways we as a church can improve. People often feel like the only way they can serve is through an organization, church, or school, as those groups tend to reach larger amounts of people. We should not limit ourselves to only doing service through organizations but should endeavor to serve others in our everyday lives. Additionally, service doesn’t mean you have to help large groups of people all at once; even if you’re helping one or two people, you are still making a change and exemplifying God’s love. As individuals, and as the Adventist church as a whole, we should continually be striving to help those in need and to become a service-oriented church rather than a self-oriented one.

Adventists and service D a n i Pa g e

08

what makes Adventism different?

Elisa Vital

I didn’t grow up in a Christian home so my experience with God is slightly different to what it would have been if I had. In Mexico, about 83% of the population is Catholic, and my family used to be a part of that majority group until life led us through a road of hardships so unbearable, that it felt like nothing could make them better.

I was 10 years old when my mom decided to take my brother and I to a Christian church for the first time after she was persuaded by some evangelizers to assist the Friday night service of a big, yet welcoming community. The night we decided to assist the service, I experienced something that hasn’t left my memory since; watching my mom giving her life to Christ in that very moment and feeling washed new from head to toe was a once in a lifetime experience and definitely one that I’m grateful for every day of my life. It changed us forever, but the journey doesn’t end there, in fact, it was just the beginning. My family and I knew nothing about denominations back then, so when we moved to Canada it was quite the surprise for us to think that there were subdivisions of something we thought to be so complete.

My own personal journey with God started in High School, but I felt like there wasn’t much room for me to grow spiritually in the environment I was in so I became very desperate and a little angry to some extent. The real deal for me was Burman; initially I was very confused as to what Adventism was but as time went on I began

to understand more about it. I understood that Adventism was a lot more than just haystacks, which was the first Adventist thing I ever knew of, but it was more about a church whose early pioneers dug deeper into the study of the Word.

Being a person who used to worship on Sunday I always wondered, why Saturday? And the more time I spent in Burman, the more curious I grew to know about the SDA church and about Christ in general.

I got baptized into the church this month and I have realized, through consistent Bible study and personal experience, that this is a movement that understands the value of God’s commandments and is willing to spread this message everywhere.

Adventism shares the good news of the return of Jesus and it is a movement that emerged because people decided not to be comfortable with knowing just a little bit about the Bible, but rather, dig deeper into the study of the Word in order to understand God’s principles a lot better.

I have seen and lived both sides of the spectrum, the one of a secular life and that which follows God’s commandments, and I have come to the conclusion that God loves us regardless of the choices we make in life. So, whether Catholic, Atheist, or Adventist, we are all loved by God. My family and I were taken out of the lost, we weren’t any less loved by Him because we didn’t know the truth.

It is a busy life for most of us and staying healthy is rarely on the top of the list of things to do. With so many things going on like exams, assignments, sports, practicum, etc. it can be hard to remember to even eat or sleep sometimes. As Adventists, we are widely known for our different health principles and practices and many times our health message may seem confusing or overwhelming at a first glance. However, the overall goal is to promote better healthier living within ourselves and within the community around us. By changing our everyday lifestyles and habits we can help prevent many diseases from attacking our bodies and we can help our bodies function at their maximum potential on a daily basis. Some of the main aspect of healthy living includes nutritional health, physical health, mental health, social health, and spiritual health. These 5 aspects of health are highly important to consider in order to keep “health” on the top of our list of priorities. In our busy days and active lives remember that God created your body, Jesus died for it, the Holy Spirit lives in it, your body is connected to Christ, and it’s going to be restored one day. Let us encourage and support each other in caring for our temples that God has provided each one of us with.

Here are some tips on how you, as a busy university student, can keep “being healthy” as priority.

mind, body, & Soul Elsy Cornejo

Nutritional: Hungry? Pack some healthy snacks such as trail mix, crackers, granola bars, etc. throughout the day. These will help you avoid impulsively eating sugary or fattening substances when you get hungry and have low blood sugar.

- Carry around a water bottle throughout your day. Water is essential for the mind and body’s normal functions.

Keep hydrated in order to have better mental processes skills and to avoid stressful headaches while studying.

Physical: SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP. Sleep is involved in healing and repairing different structures within the body. Prolonged sleep deficiency can cause many severe diseases and will decrease your overall function of the body and brain.

Mental: Feeling stressed? Take a walk outside and receive some fresh air. Inhale and exhale in a prolonged pattern in order to promote gas exchange within the body. This will allow your body to receive higher oxygen levels for better brain and body functioning.

Social: Use the time you have in class wisely. Focus on your lectures so that you have more time later on for more quality time with friends, rest time, relaxation time etc.

Spiritual: Make time for your own personal daily devotions and time with God. Staying connected with your creator will help you lean on his understanding and strength throughout your daily tasks and activities.

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3 John 1:2

10

pursued Jessica Richter I remember being in high school, looking up at a sunrise sky all gold and glowing, thinking it was incredibly beautiful. I asked God, “Can my heart look like that?”

When I asked that question years ago, I wasn’t asking whether I believed in God, but who God was, and what He saw in me.

When I looked into my heart, my eyes were held by fear, chatted with doubt, and eaten by pain.

These seemed to be the companions that chose me…and their company was a little dark.

It’s taken time to learn to be pursued by a different God. The ones that I thought were chasing me at high speed were called Anger and Distantly Aloof when I messed up. I knew God as Pain, crushing my heart with each call from home leaving Loss, Sickness, and Broken Family in his wake. He never thought I was quite good enough.

Gently, these eyes are seeing that this heart is being pursued by Joy, Love, Beauty, and Belonging, and its healing the broken places where Fear, Doubt and Pain were making a home. I’m seeing a picture of a God who sings and dances over me, and wants to pull me into His arms to sing and dance with Him.

A God who made music so I could cry out in rage, and sing for joy because He values honesty and understands pain and heartbreak. I’m seeing a picture of love that looks at the dirt and mud and mess that I cling to, and only sees love making a home. I’m seeing a picture of Beauty that makes mountains for me to climb (and hold “Yelling and Crying Jessica” as well), rivers to calm my heart when it hurts, and creates colourful food to fill my belly. I’m seeing a picture of a God that wants to break every wall that makes me feel far from Him and separate from the people on this earth.

A God that longs to call everyone His family and His friend. An Artist who puts a little picture of what he is like into every culture so that every time we share stories with someone who is different than ourselves we see a new part of God. A God who won’t rest until I see myself as He sees me: entirely beautiful, joyful and love filled!

So when I fall into dark company, Jesus pursues me with whispered promises, “This is not the end of your story!” It’s beautiful because Love, Joy, Beauty, and Belonging are making a home in my heart, and I’m liking myself and others a lot more.

As an Adventist, (It’s funny the things that I pursue) I used to chase after certainty, as an answer to everything. These days I am realizing that certainty and I should not sit together unless there is a picture of Jesus in the middle. After all, He’s the one making a home in me.

So now, I’d like to call myself a hope chaser! I believe Adventism is so beautiful because our name is hoping in something better; that our story does not end here! The Bible describes this as peace, or shalom which means no harm. It is a picture of every person living in love with each other, seeing the beauty that has been created in each heart. I hope, and long for this!

Lately Jesus has been whispering, “Jessi, I see a sunrise!”

interview With Ricardo Abel A r i z a g a Pe v e r i n i

by Liliet Ramirez

I am a fifth generation Adventist. What does that mean? Well, the Seventh-day Adventist Church was formed in 1863 in the United States of America. My great-great-great grandparents, Pedro and Cecilia Peverini, Italian Catholic couple in Argentina were baptized as Seventh-day Adventist around 1885, after studying the Adventist message through an Adventist French paper, Les Signes des Temps that family friends were sending from Switzerland. The Peverini’s became Adventist about 20 years after the church was officially formed. That is quite a legacy!

Although I come from this long line of Adventists, the story of how my immediate family became Adventist does not simply ‘flow’ from this part of Adventist history. You see, life takes many twists and it wasn’t an exception in the Peverini family.

My grandfather, Abel Peverini, wanted to become a doctor, this was not an option in his family, the Peverinis were ‘called’ to be pastors and teachers.

This created a big rift amongst the family. Eventually my grandfather decided to go his own way even if it meant being disowned by the family.

He enlisted in the military and married the family maid’s daughter. My grandfather became the black sheep of the Peverini family. As a result, his wife and their 6 children didn’t know of the Seventh-day Adventist message until my mom was around 12 years old.

My grandfather became a highly ranked official in the Argentinian army and was away on tours for months at a time. During one of these absences, Adventist colporteurs stopped by my grandfather’s hacienda to ask if they could pray with the family. My grandmother allowed them and soon the whole family was having Bible studies. The children were asked to keep this a secret from

their father, as he wanted nothing to do with religion. One evening, as the family was sitting for dinner one of the kids asked to pray surprising my grandfather. My grandmother, tired of keeping secrets, decided to tell him what had been occurring in his absence. He listened and was silent for some time. Everyone waited in suspense to see what he would say. With tears in his eyes, he shared with his family that he knew of the Seventh-day Adventist message and that he came from a family of Adventists. From this moment, their lives changed. The entire family was soon baptized into the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

All of the children went through the Adventist Education system and have become leaders and missionaries in various parts of the world. In fact, this is how I ended up in Mexico. My parents took a missionary call to Mexico and this is where my story begins.

I myself became a missionary not because of my history but because of my calling. My family history tells of a living God that has a plan for each and every one of us. He never stops calling. He will even use your missteps to lead others to their calling. God is calling you. Will you take his call?

I guess if you want to learn something about my family story is that Adventism is an active religion, not a passive one. We were never meant to be a church that only congregates on Sabbath but to be actively involved in the many different phases of it. It cannot become a description of who you are, it is a lifestyle.

12 There is a common thread that seeks to unite Adventists and that is, love for the gospel. But, somehow, the tapestry remains incomplete–unfinished. Because while many can recite the 28 fundamental beliefs of the church, and can substantiate any argument with scripture, while beliefs can be qualified, and claims justified, no sooner have the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation been argued are we found wanting.

We are judged within the context of our capacity. As a disciple, every aspect of our life is being scrutinized, every facet of our person is put under the microscope. It is both a privilege and a prestige to serve, to disciple the flock of God, while being ever cognizant that you, yourself, are being discipled. We are representatives of God clothed in “filthy rags” (the sheer irony) the magnitude of our responsibility is comprehensibly incomprehensible. We must ensure that our light so shines, and remember that no aspect of our life is exempt; it cannot be isolated in others’ estimation of us.

Is it that we have forgotten how to serve? Have we forgotten, how to, without scorn, wash the feet of the person who sits next to us? Have we missed the mark? It is in recognition of our inadequacies that we pursue Christ, it is He who said, “For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” We are admonished, in Christ’s absence, to lead by example.

Acceptance of a thing is not exemplification, and justification is not sanctification. Let us, then, with fervor complete that which we have been tasked with, to love our neighbours as ourselves, to first attend to the beam that is in our own eyes; to be a lighthouse. Our churches should not be made a monument to house the ruins of our attempt, but an edifice that echoes truth and our excellence in Christ Jesus.

May it be declared, “‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

a city on a hill cannot be hidden Nakeda McDonald

13

bob the dog and the healing of other wounds Mikelle Wile, Student Missionar y

One day, I became a dog-translator/doctor. This is the story: A couple of weeks ago an exciting development interrupted the rhythm of cooking and diaper changing and child-wrangling. Liz, (ever the bearer of unreliable news) busted in the door shouting, “Bobby’s sick and he’s crying!”

Bobby is a floppy-eared black dog with a pretty interesting past. He first belonged to a family that lived in the town.

When they moved to Canada (excellent choice), he was gifted to a lady who works in El Sauce’s garden. Unfortunately, she was unable to feed him and so she re-gifted him to us. We were only… moderately grateful.

Here in Bolivia, people don’t often keep pets, or think too highly of dogs. And I have learned that the dogs don’t like the people that much either (as the scars on my calf can testify).

So no one really seemed to care too much about Bobby until he was wailing outside the school that day.

So, Bobby was sick. I was about to mix some charcoal into his food and clean up his digestive tract, but when he trotted near, one sniff told me that something was terribly wrong on account of the fact that he smelled like actual death. Turns out, about 1/5 of Bobby actually was dead. There was a gaping hole in his shoulder and neck squirming with maggots.

Going to the vet was out of the question. As a result, that afternoon, two of the teen girls and I set out to do surgery on Bobby. Completely clueless about what to do, but nevertheless extremely confident, we geared up in doctor’s masks, latex gloves and a mishmash of various medical supplies.

First things first: Locate Bobby. That was easy enough because we could smell him rotting from quite a distance.

Second step: Set appropriate boundaries for prying eyes. Of course, all the children wanted to gawk. So I set a stick on the ground which the little kids were forbidden to cross. This curiosity was absolutely killing them as they squirmed and skirted their way around the authoritative twig to get a better look.

Step Three: Approach Bobby. This was done after a fervent prayer for safety of course. We had no idea how he would react. Thank the LORD that Jimena took the lead. I will say.

That I was afraid.

Step four: Subdue the Bob. The girls had a bright idea, “Hermana! Speak English to him! Tell him to lie down!” See, Bobby’s owner used to speak English to him. I was mostly 100% sure that speaking in English was not going to make the 1/5 dead dog lay down. But it made me feel important in our surgical adventure. “Lie down!” I said half-heartedly.

The amazing thing folks, is that Bobby laid down.

The girls were thrilled and I was very pleased with my skills as a dog doctor, because all of a sudden, I was instrumental to the success of the operation (and could perform my job adequately from a safe distance).

Bobby had so little life left in him that he let us do whatever we thought might help. After dumping a goodly dose of hydrogen peroxide on him, the girls started the process of removing the worms one by one. I held the flashlight. I could give you a lot of details on this (because they are etched in my mind and nostrils) but I’ll just say there were a lot, and they were in there deep.

Miraculously, he lived through the night. After another such treatment, and a few sessions of chasing Bobby around with

a worm spray I can tentatively say that our friend is on the mend. He still looks like a monster, but he’s yapping healthfully at every person that crosses his path (mildly annoying), and eating whatever we give him. We love him because Bob is not just any obnoxious street dog with a horrific wound – he is our obnoxious street dog with a horrific wound.

I wonder if the kids realize how similar their stories are to Bobby’s. They once lived with a family too. They got passed around from place to place until they ended up here. They have this gaping hole in their hearts, which desperately needs to be treated. But they are afraid to let others near. I see it so clearly with the older girls. They are angry at everything.

Their bitterness comes bubbling over and colliding with the hurt of the other girls. The environment it creates here is sometimes unbearable. Sure, you could write it off as teenage angst, but I know that they’re just protecting their painful wounds. Every so often, I have been blessed to see one of them become so weak and tired that they let someone see their hurt, and remove some sickness and hold them with loving arms.

I have learned something from this experience: People are messy. Very messy.

Rarely can you help someone, get a nice thank you and be on your way. Serving others is not just a moment – like handing them a sandwich or shipping off a care package. If you really want to help make a change in someone’s life, often you will find that you need to invest a little more. You get entangled in cords that are cumbersome and inconvenient and that sometimes squeeze you too tightly. They chafe and they make you feel like you aren’t free. I had hoped to spend some time in Bolivia traveling as a tourist, but instead I found myself holding a lot of responsibility — which meant no tourism for me.

I had two choices – accept the cords of service, or break free.

When faced with a decision I like to consult the Bible first and foremost. It has only ever given me good advice. This time it told me, “I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love” Hosea 11:4. I read this, and understood what those cords were all about – love.

If in some small way I lose my freedom for love of others, in order to take up the ties of love, I pray for strength to accept it as a blessing. To be thankful for disciple’s training and a chance to set myself aside – a chance to die.

Amy Carmichael wrote, “If Thy dear home be fuller, Lord, for that a little emptier my house on earth, what rich reward that guerdon were” And in case you couldn’t enjoy that beautiful bit of poetry because of the word “guerdon” I will tell you that it means.

Guerdon means recompense. In other words, if someone can live more fully because of a sacrifice that I have made, it is worth the inconvenience.

Jesus is concerned with healing the broken hearted and binding up their wounds (Ps 147:3). In order to take up this work as His servants, we will need to accept the cost of wound-binding.

The rewards are so great.

Whether it be dog wounds or people wounds.

- Taken from adventureisouthereblog.wordpress.com

7 adventist fun facts Zahara McGann

01

The first ever haystack was originated by Ella May Hartlein in the early 1950’s when she and her family craved Tostadas and could not find a Mexican restaurant close to their home.

02

There are multiple types of haystacks including ones created by Latter Day Saints which go by the name Hawaiian haystacks and include rice and pineapple as the base, and Amish haystacks that have a lettuce base and crackers on top.

03 Many world-renowned individuals have come from the Adventist faith

including basketball player Magic Johnson, human rights and Muslim

minister Malcolm X, singers Kevin Olusola from Pentatonix, Prince,

Daniel Caesar, Brian McKnight, Little Richard, and rapper Busta Rhymes.

04

The first major surgical procedures done on babies were performed by Adventist doctors Dr. Ben Carson and Dr. Leonard Bailey. Dr. Carson not only performed the only successful separation of conjoined twins joined at the back of the head, but also pioneered the first successful neurosurgical procedure on a fetus inside the womb. The other procedure was done by Dr. Leonard L. Bailey at Loma Linda University on baby Fae, performing the first cross-species transplant with a baboon heart, though the procedure proved to be non-successful.

05 The infamous phrase, “A dingo ate my baby,” from Meryl Streep came

from the theatric rendition of a horrific attack on Adventist couple

Michael and Alice Chamberlain’s baby Azaria in 1986. Not only was

the couple speculated for foul play, but the Adventist Church that they

were a part of became known as a cult. Alice was released from prison

three years later after evidence of Azaria’s jacket was found in a dingo lair.

06

Loma Linda is part of the top five blue zones within the world with their residents living up to and past 100 years of age. Health Message for the win!

07 The current Adventist population is 25 million people worldwide. The

church operates in 202 out of 230 countries and areas recognized by

the United Nations, making it up to the most widespread Protestant denomination.

16

"everyone’s criteria for being Adventist has different parameters" It is no surprise that there are rarely any universal truths and some believe that religion is exempt from this. Everyone around the world holding true to their version of the universal truth. To Adventists, however, some may encounter a surprise that even within our religion, people around the world who share the same name follow very different paths. As a born Adventist raised in the Caribbean, I had to admit one of the biggest changes I saw entering this country was the importance placed on vegetarianism and even strangers outside of the Adventist religion in this country associate being Adventist with being vegetarian. It made me realize that everyone’s criteria for being Adventist had different parameters. There are some Adventists who do not follow the teachings and doctrines of Ellen G White, while others would consider her work a fundamental part of being an Adventist. In my home country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, an Adventist celebrating or even mentioning Christmas was considered a bad example to young minds in the church, even though Ellen G. White herself spoke on the topic emphasizing the importance of not letting young children be jealous of their friends by offering a small dinner and gifts on the day, not focusing on the Christmas aspect but on the spirit of giving to prevent envious feelings in the child. I would never forget one Sabbath before Christmas when I was 13 or 14, that one of the deacons in charge of song service at-

tempted to sing a Christmas song in the morning and was met with stiff frowns and silent voices. To the older generation of my church, Christmas was pagan tradition with no place in the Seventh-day Adventist lifestyle. This rigidity to change caused a rift between the older generation who were comfortable and stoic in their beliefs and the young people who wanted to explore new ways of celebrating the very same God. Then we have the more controversial topic of women’s ordination. In the west, the general public and masses support the idea that only men could become ordained pastors as God did not specifically say women were allowed to. However, in China, where the general population of Adventists is thought to be over 400,000, women are seen as a valuable asset to the church as pastors, since women make up the majority of the membership and the ratio of pastors to members are typically 1 to 4,000. In a world where Christianity is seen as an imperialistic tool, the need for ministers overpowers the discriminatory lens of whether the carrier of the message is male or female.

Many view this change as being contrary to the church, while others view this as progression.

The truth is, and will always be, that there is no right or wrong way to be an Adventist, and if there were, we as humans are not in charge of the criteria.

Z o r i s h a Pe t e r s

adventist cuisine Elsy Cornejo

18

what are Haystax?

Haystacks?

Haystack?

How to build a haystack: 01

Put a layer of chips on a plate. If they are larger tortilla chips, crush them and spread them out on the plate. Optional, instead of using regular tortilla chips add some fun and use your favorite Doritos.

02

Spoon chili (beans and vegetarian ground meat with tomato sauce) over the top of the chips, distributing it in lovely lumps.

03

Now be generous with adding the shredded lettuce over the chili. Optional add favorite vegetables such as cucumber, tomatoes, onions, etc.

04

Add sour cream and feta cheese (or vegan cheese if you like that) to top it off.

05

Add some salsa to spice it up a bit (optional).

Eat with your fingers by grabbing the bottom chips full of layered goodness, or sometimes a fork, depending on how little you are or how much you crunched those tortilla chips.

Bon appetit!

poetry

being adventist Jasmine Pickett

Being a Seventh-day Adventist is... different.

It means being... different.

It’s not always the worst thing in the world, is it?

Some would say it’s a bad different.

They think of all the laughter.

The looks.

The questions as to why.

The long explanations that follow those questions of why.

Others say it’s a good different.

They think of all the support.

The love of an understanding church family.

The feeling of trying to follow God’s word.

Meeting with others of your faith.

When it all started, there wasn’t anything different about us at all.

We were just another religious group with nothing that made us stand out.

Then, we became different.

We dealt with the good side of different and the bad side.

When the laughter rang in our ears as we walked home, we had the support to keep us from falling.

When the looks were too cutting, we had the love and understanding of a family to help us through.

When the questions became too much, we had our conviction.

When the long explanations weren’t enough, we knew that there were others of our faith.

Seventh-day Adventism is: Love.

Warmth.

Game nights.

Gatherings.

Friday night vespers.

Afterglow.

Saturday church service.

Sabbath afternoon walks.

Singing at the top of your lungs to praise God. It’s also: Long nights of fighting with God. Deciding if the Sabbath is Sunday or Saturday.

Debating if it’s worth it to keep the Sabbath day holy or not.

Breaking down because different is too hard to handle.

Trying to explain to your work supervisor that you don’t work on Saturday because of your religion.

Losing your job because you don’t work on Saturday.

Missing class events that happen Friday night through Saturday because it’s the Sabbath.

Being a Seventh-day Adventist is... different.

It means being... different.

It’s not always the worst thing in the world, is it?

22

ode to ellen Kailey Smith

Oh auntie Ellen The influence you seem to have on those all around me Now a days going to the movie theatres is a big deal for some of us For some there’s no problem But for others Oh boy watch out Oh auntie Ellen the things I’ve learned You taught me to minister to those outside of the church Not by just distributing tracks Or feeding the homeless but more than that I make sure my actions are a way that represent our Father up above Oh auntie Ellen I just want you to know Times have changed You ready for this update Skirts are all different lengths now They aren’t as long anymore Well yes there are still long ones But length doesn’t mean modesty anymore Don’t worry though I still own a few that sweep the ground Other times I just settle for the ones that reach my knees Oh auntie Ellen thank you for your lessons You have taught me not to just force the Bible down someone’s throat It seems like it works better if first I become their friend I’ve gained so many friends Oh auntie Ellen how I appreciate you so much Thank you for showing me that a woman can be a leader too Thanks for letting me know that with God all things are possible I love you dear auntie I’ll write again soon Sincerely, Adventist Women

a different take

being adventist Kira Brüggemann

Here’s the thing: I’m Jewish.

Kind of an awkward way to begin an article I know, but stay with me for a second. I think it’s important to get what needs to be said out in the open, and I’m not trying to beat around the bush, so yeah I’m Jewish. I have Jewish stuff in my dorm room. I celebrate Hanukkah and Passover, and I even learned a little Hebrew when I was younger. So why am I writing an article about Seventh-day Adventism in a Seventh-day Adventist-focused issue at a Seventh-day Adventist institution? Well here’s the other thing, I’m Seventh-day Adventist.

Yup that’s right, I’m an Adventist. I go to church every Sabbath. I grew up in Pathfinders. I went to an Adventist high school. And I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior (Amen, Hallelujah). Are you confused yet? If you are, trust me you’re not the only one.

Here’s how a typical conversion goes when someone finds out I’m Jewish: “Wait, what? You’re Jewish?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t look Jewish. So, do you like, believe in Jesus?”

“Yeah…”

“So, you’re not an Adventist?”

“No, I am.” “...But how does that work though?”

Then comes the lengthy explanation of how my dad is Adventist and my mom is Jewish. My mom is kind of Adventist too. That’s how she was raised. Then when she was in early adulthood, she went through that “finding herself” phase and discovered Judaism. So, I grew up going to Adventist churches on Sabbath and going to synagogue on Yom Kippur. We do other Jewish things at home, like eating Jewish food and practicing the Jewish holidays.

People usually don’t know I’m Jewish. Most of the time, because I grew up in the Adventist community, people just assume I’m Adventist and are content with that. If they find out I’m also Jewish, it’s always a big shock. Sometimes people aren’t happy about it. In fact, they can get very offended.

They’ll say I can’t be two religions, or I’m a hypocrite because “the Jews killed Jesus” (yes, I’ve actually had someone say that). If I’m in church and one of the older ladies hear me they’ll look around in fear as if lighting is about to strike

from heaven because I said something awful and they’ll tell me to stop speaking foolishness. Because obviously I can’t be Jewish if I’m a good Christian girl who was just up doing scripture reading and children’s story, right?

I always find these negative reactions funnier than anything else. But it makes me sad too. Or at least somewhat disappointed that they don’t know God like I know Him. For someone who identifies with two religions, religion by definition isn’t that key to me. Don’t get me wrong, I think rules and structure are important. But when it comes to labels and associations, let's just say I wish there didn’t need to be any.

I believe that one’s personal relationship with God is more important than anything else, and I’ve found that labels can get in the way of that. Let people worship God in the way that is most meaningful to them. I love being Jewish. I see it and its practices as extra ways to worship and honour God. But that’s just my own personal opinion, and I’m okay with that.

I know I’m not the only one in my situation, not being only Adventist. That’s one thing that’s been really cool about coming to Burman, getting to meet people who are not Adventist, people like Melissa. Melissa is an education major here at Burman and she’s Pentecostal. She says that coming here to an Adventist school is different and that she thinks Adventists and Pentecostals have generally the same values.

But when asked if she felt closer to God here or back home she said, “I felt more in touch with God back home because worship is very big there, we raise our hands, and it’s very conservative here, I’m more liberal.” So, there you have it.

We might think that we’re right and that we’ve got it all put together as Adventists, but someone in a different religion could feel just as close if not closer to God while worshiping on a Sunday.

And I know there are others out there. Maybe you came to Burman as an atheist and are considering turning to Adventism. Maybe you came to Burman as a Muslim and are happy to remain worshiping in that faith. Maybe you came here an Adventist but aren’t even sure where you stand on the whole God issue at all. That’s okay, university is a great place to figure that all out. I know I don’t have it all figured out when it comes to my walk with God. Who knows? Maybe I’ll go through my own “finding myself” phase and end up with one more or one less label. But wherever I end up, as long as I have God, I’ll be set.

26 10

a conversation with alex Kaylie Copeland

Here’s an expert from a journal entry I wrote a few years ago after having just left the Adventist church. I still don’t believe in God but I still appreciate this interaction as much as I did two years ago.

Last night I worked the 9pm-1am shift at the front desk of my University’s dorm. I was working away (if you’ve ever worked a late shift at LVH you know that ‘working away’ means binging your favorite show on Netflix and setting alarms for every half hour to check on security) when Alex, a girl who used to live on my floor during my year as an RA came to the lobby. She was filling me in a bit on the past year at Burman and giving me suggestions for what show I should start next, when we started talking about the job we both have working for the dorm. Our job entails deep cleaning rooms, the lobby, and bathrooms as well as working at the front desk. Cleaning sucks, let’s be real. I can’t be bothered to clean my own room half the time, let alone to scrub the tub of some disgusting boy who hadn’t cleaned his bathroom the whole school year. It’s repulsive, honestly. It’s sweaty. And it’s repetitive, as I go from room to room to do the same thing and encounter more poop stains on the inside of toilet bowls and boogers smeared on walls.

Further, every morning the whole dorm staff meets for a quick worship led by one of the deans. At the end of the worship, a dean randomly selects one of us to pray before we get to work. Sometimes, when I come into the lobby to find a vacuum cleaner or to get a drink, some Christian music will be blasting the speakers praising their God. And it’s annoying to me. My beliefs have done a complete 180 flip. I don’t want to hear some girl with a terrible voice belting about how holy God is, and if I was selected to pray I would flat out refuse. I respect that people hold different beliefs than me, I do. But because their beliefs are no longer in line with mine, I don’t want to be involved with their Christianity. So, Alex was asking me about how I liked working here and I voiced my opinion (in a more respectful way than this, I think). I told her that working here is starting to make me a little bit bitter, because I feel like Christianity is constantly being pushed down my throat.

I also acknowledged that I understood this is an Adventist school and I have chosen to be back here - but it’s still not easy to be the only one who doesn’t believe something in a group of people who are so fervent in their belief system. My choices for coming back to Burman University have nothing to do with the Christian aspect and more to do with familiarity. It’s easiest. Easier than applying

at new Universities and going through the struggle of transferring credits. All my friends are here. I think that’s my biggest motivator for considering this hilltop campus once again. The people I love are still here and I think that’s what being a human is all about - surrounding yourself with people you love and who love you. Sometimes, I question if coming back out of familiarity was the wrong choice for myself. If maybe moving back to Lacombe was moving my life backwards rather than forwards. If instead, I should be pushing myself to expand and to grow and to experience new things, even if they’re scary. Even if I’m doing them alone.

But I’ve spent the past 6 months doing that very thing and I have to admit, I’m not the biggest fan of the lonely. So, here I am. I want push through the next two years of my degree and I want to adventure with my friends in between study sessions and classes.

And that’s why I’m back. Putting up with the few times where I can’t escape the bible lessons or “just give it to God” speeches will be worthwhile (I’m hoping).

So, as I’m explaining my reasoning to Alex during my 9pm-1am shift at the front desk, she’s listening intently. I’m trying to sugar-coat it, honestly. Like, I’m kind of scared to tell her the whole truth. Maybe I just want her to think I’m going through a rough patch with the Christianity thing. But then I realize it’s not going to do my any good if I can’t be upfront about where I’m at in my own life in regards to my beliefs. Who does that help? So, I just told her and braced for the sermon I thought I was going to hear in order to convince me to “come back to God.” Instead, she nodded her head and said “I totally understand that!” and went on to sympathize with how frustrating it would be to be surrounded by something you didn’t believe in.

No, “Well you know, Kaylie … I’m going to pray for you”. No snide remarks about how I must never have had a relationship with Jesus if I could leave him. No looks of judgment. Just an understanding nod and an understanding comment.

After, we continued talking about various different things. She eventually left the front desk, and I went back to watching How I Met Your Mother and laughing at how stupid that show is. And I got to thinking that Alex was a truly cool girl. I know for a fact that she stands firm in her belief system, yet in no way did she push that onto me. And for those of you that have also left the church and kept in contact with church members, you know that this a rare occurrence. Just as I didn’t push my lack of belief in a God at Alex, she didn’t push her belief in a God at me. And I feel like conversations about religion and beliefs should play out more like this.

With respect for where the other person is at and an understanding that you don’t need to “win” that person to your side. Believe me, as a woman who has been apart from the SDA church for a year now, I have heard my fair share of lectures, sermons, “what-if” scenarios. Hell, when I look back to who I was two years ago, I was the one giving those lectures to friends of mine who had left the church. And now, here I am. I don’t have intentions of coming back into the SDA church. I don’t believe in a God, although I’m also not denying the existence that he could possibly be there. I’m holding up a big “I don’t know” sign. But that sign does not give anyone permission to try and convince me.

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