Two Oakwood College Students Die in Car Crash ... Two students at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama were killed in a car crash on Friday, May 6.  Chasity McNeil, 20, an information technology major from San Antonio, Texas; and Samantha Chamorro 19, a history major from Lawton, Oklahoma were both juniors in college.  According to a statement issued by the college, McNeil was driving south on a highway near Tuscaloosa in Alabama, when she lost control of her vehicle and spun into oncoming northbound traffic. An 18-wheeler truck crashed into the passenger side of the vehicle, instantly killing both students. A student-led prayer service was held May 5. An additional service was held in a campus residence hall chapel on Saturday, May 6.  Samantha Chamorro’s family returned to New Orleans, their place of residence prior to Hurricane Katrina, for memorial services that took place Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13.  Services for Chasity McNeil were held in San Antonio, Texas on Thursday, May 11 and Friday, May 12.

Serbia: Flood Survivors Receive Emergency Aid ... The 2,100 families in parts of Serbia that have been driven from their homes because of heavy flooding in March and April are receiving emergency management supplies from Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International.  Supplies include food parcels, hygiene parcels, and rubber boots. The families come from the affected municipalities of Zrenjanin, Beocin, Secanj, Golubac, Smederevo, Belgrade, Titel, and Trstneik. The intervention will secure the hygiene needs of beneficiaries and provide food for needy families for one month.

Guinea Bissau: Displaced Families Receive Urgently Needed Aid ... Since the signing of the peace agreement between the Government of Senegal and the Senegalese secessionist group—the Movement for the Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC)—in December of 2004, power struggles in the MFDC have led to fragmentation of the organization, resulting in increased tension, insecurity, and armed conflict in the Senegal-Guinea Bissau border region. Thousands of people have sought refuge in the cities of Cacheu, Bula, Ingoré, and Bissau, Guinea Bissau’s capital city. Many arrived in the cities empty handed, seeking shelter in the homes of relatives. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International has coordinated and managed relief activities for more than 1,500 persons in Cacheu. ADRA also distributed non-food items to 350 families, including household items and construction materials for much needed toilets. Many volunteers continued the work, even after the completion of the project on April 30, to distribute essential emergency items for refugees.

Colombia: Adventist Pastor Injured in Accident ... Pastor Abraham Guerrero was returning home on his motorcycle after a baptismal ceremony on April 15 when he collided with a truck in a near fatal accident. Guerrero, director for the Seventh-day Adventist church in Colombia’s Sabanas Zone, suffered a spinal fracture and injuries to his hand and head. Guerrero underwent successful surgery at the local Hospital Neurológico de Cartagena and is now recovering.

Qatar: Adventists Seeks to Establish Church  ... A delegation from the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Middle East met with four Islamic studies professors at Qatar University in Doha on May 7. The church is seeking official registration in the area. Pastor Tibor Szilvasi, leader of the Adventist Church in the Northern Gulf Region, said: “I sensed a great deal of interest as we discussed the various spiritual principles which guide our respective religious convictions. There was a genuine sense of brotherhood as we spoke about the urgent need for interfaith dialogue for greater mutual understanding.”

Ethiopia: Film Chronicling Adventist Hospital Wins at Film Festival ... Beating out 250 other short films, Footsteps of the Unknown, an Adventist Health International and Loma Linda University film, took home the Audience Award for Best Short Film at the Newport Beach Film Festival in California, United States. The film also topped a 2005 Academy Award winner. Footsteps of the Unknown is a short documentary on the stories surrounding Gimbie Adventist Hospital in Ethiopia. The film focuses on American couple Chandra and Charlie Baier who went to Gimbie right after their honeymoon to help run the hospital for three months.  Gimbie is a place where children are often orphaned or abandoned, a place where people strive to live through desperate situations. But despite difficult conditions, they aspire to live life to its fullest. Volunteers at Gimbie Adventist Hospital, including the Baiers who have been there for three years, support the locals’ ambitious nature.