Argentina: ADRA Aids Flood Survivors ... When intense rain flooded several cities in Tucumán, a province located in Northwestern Argentina, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) immediately responded, providing emergency relief to 1,800 residents in the region. An estimated 5,000 residents were forced to evacuate by nearly eight inches of rain and heavy flooding in the region that began on January 10 and affected more than 25,000 people. The storm cut power to 7,000 homes and made several roads impassable. As well as destroying homes, cars and other material possessions, basic necessities such as food and clothing were lost in the disaster. With the help of 70 volunteers, ADRA is providing food baskets, housing reconstruction materials, blankets, mattresses and clothing for 450 households in the province of Tucumán. The intervention began on January 11. It targets the elderly, households with small children or members who are ill or physically challenged, and those who suffered the greatest material losses. [ADRA/ANN Staff]

World Church: AdventSource Launches First Adventist Search Engine ... You’ll want to bookmark http://search.adventsource.org/, the Seventh-day Adventist church’s first comprehensive targeted search engine, recently launched by AdventSource. Users can now limit searches to websites created and maintained by Adventist organizations and church members to better find the information and resources they’re looking for. All Adventist organizations, including the Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries’ (ASI) members with business websites can submit their website information at http://search.adventsource.org/ to be included. “The Internet ... presents a wealth of great resources,” says Brad Forbes, executive director of AdventSource, “but there has been an exponential growth in Internet trash. The Adventist search engine will assist church members and ministries leaders in finding all the good stuff without any of the junk.” [North American Division Communication Department/ANN Staff]

China: Adventist Alumnus Receives Yandang Friendship Award ... Meljoie Pepito, a ‘97 theology graduate of the Seventh-day Adventist-owned Mountain View College in the Philippines, recently received one of China’s most respected awards: the Yandang Friendship Award. The award, presented to foreigners legally working in China for at least six months with the approval of the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs, recognizes those who have contributed to China’s education, science and technology, economy and other areas of development. Meljoie received the award for his work teaching English to bus conductors. He initiated the free English conversation program to help bus drivers attract more tourists to Lanzhou City and bolster the local economy. In addition to bus drivers, Meljoie also provides lessons for non-English speaking teachers and has established English Corners in bookstores, where his students can gather to speak and teach conversational English in an informal setting. [Rhoen Catolico/AND/ANN Staff]

United States: First Adventist University to Affiliate with Public Relations Student Society ... On Feb. 6, the Public Relations Society of America board in New York granted a charter to Andrews University, a Seventh-day Adventist-owned tertiary institution located in Berrien Springs, Michigan, making it the first Adventist university to launch a student chapter, according to Dr. Pamela Maize Harris, advisor of the new campus association. The college’s membership will offer students scholarships, case study competitions, award programs, a national job center and conference, leadership training, professional publication and an opportunity to network within “a dynamic, pre-professional organization,” says Harris. “Andrews [University] communication, marketing and public relations students have a wonderful new resource for launching their careers and for gaining valuable experience while in school.” Students at the university who have been campaigning to begin a Public Relations Society of America student chapter for nearly two years join a nationwide membership of some 9,000 affiliated with nearly 300 chapters. [Andrews University/ANN Staff]

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