Indonesia: Tsunami Hits Again ... Almost two years after a deadly tsunami left parts of South Asia devastated another tsunami pounded the Indonesian island of Java on July 18. The most recent tsunami breached the shores of Pangandaran and Cilacap, on the Western coast of Java. With 52,700 people displaced and hundreds killed and many still missing Adventist Development and Relief Agency [ADRA] workers there say every moment is crucial. The risk of aftershocks keeps tensions high with the fear of still another tsunami. ADRA, who was in Indonesia long before the devastating tsunami, which occurred in December of 2004, is continuing to aid the people of Indonesia and is in the regions affected by this latest tsunami. [ADRA/ANN Staff]

Middle East: Adventist Leaders Call for Peace  ... With the recent upsurge of violence between Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Israeli armed forces, Seventh-day Adventist leaders on both sides of the border are pleading for peace.  On July 13, rockets fired from Israeli warplanes hit close to the Mouseitbeh Adventist School which is on its summer break. No injury to church members or damage to institutions has been reported. “The Lebanese Adventist members have patiently endured a turbulent history,” says Kjell Aune, president of the Adventist church in the Middle East. “Our first priority to our members is to ensure that we do all we can to maintain their safety and keep open lines of communication for prayer and logistical support.”

“We condemn the killing of innocent people in any area of our region,” said Pastor Richard Elofer, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Israel. “We urge all people—Israelis, Palestinians and Lebanese—to follow the teaching of the prophets of Israel, of Jesus and of Mohammed to be makers of peace,” Elofer stated.

For full stories see: Lebanon: Rocket Attacks Near Beirut Adventist School and Israel: ‘Be Makers of Peace,’ Adventist Leader Urges [ANN Staff]

Haiti: ADRA Fights Childhood Hunger... More than 100 children, between 6 and 12 years old in Diquini, Carrefour, Haiti are benefiting from an Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) program to improve their nutrition. According to United Nations reports, Haiti has the worst daily caloric deficit per inhabitant in the world. Fritz Bissereth, country director for the ADRA Haiti office, explained that children enrolled in the program are monitored to ensure healthy weight gain. Each child also receives a personal hygiene kit, along with training in social etiquette and proper hygiene. Parents also receive assistance through ADRA Haiti’s credit program to open small businesses and generate income. [ADRA/ANN]

United States: Loma Linda Broadcasting Network Celebrates 10 Years, New Facilities ... No fixed source of income. No paid staff. But now, 10 years later, a brand new state-of-the-art broadcast facility is set to broadcast Christian programming 24/7, worldwide. Loma Linda Broadcasting Network (LLBN) consecrated its new facilities on Saturday, July 8, in conjunction with its 10th anniversary. Seventeen months earlier, the lot where the new LLBN building now stands housed a shed surrounded by weeds. With freewill donations of almost US$400,000, and thousands of hours of hard labor put in by some 70 volunteers ranging in age from 8 to 91, the dream of having a place that LLBN could call its own has become reality at last. LLBN has been operating out of Loma Linda University Church for 10 years. The network now has a new 3,000-square-foot facility with five sound stages that will allow LLBN to reach new levels of operation and production. [Hannah Ko/LLBN/ANN]

World: Ministering on Cruise Ships .... Months after Baptist minister, Robert C. Bradford, shared his experience of being a cruise ship chaplain in a Ministry magazine article he was interviewed by the New York Times, one of the most respected newspapers in America.  Ministry magazine, an international journal for pastors is edited and published by the Seventh-day Adventist church. In the resulting July 15 story in the New York Times it mentioned the Ministry magazine article which came out in March. [ANN Staff]

United States: Broadcast About Prophecy Includes Interview with Adventist Pastor ... National Geographic channel’s special, Secrets of Revelation, had its premiere broadcast on July 16. The special included an interview with Pastor Doug Batchelor, speaker/director of Amazing Facts. The broadcast, which focuses on prophecy, will also be shown this coming Saturday, July 22, at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. [ANN Staff]

Reminder: The weekly “Ground 7 News” is a podcast featuring Adventist News Network stories as well as commentaries from Adventist leaders. It is available free from iTunes and at

http://news.adventist.org/podcast/index.html