GC Women's Ministries Leaders Visit the Middle East

Middle East | MENAUM WM | Amal Fawzy | May 22, 2023

Women bring friends to join Spirit-filled activities and to pray together. They make new friends and go home grateful—and filled with encouragement and joy.

During February, women across the territory of the Middle East and North Africa Union Mission (MENAUM) experienced "Joy," the trademark of Heather-Dawn Small’s ministry as director of the General Conference Women’s Ministries. Heather-Dawn and Nilde Itin, associate director, and Amal Fawzy, MENAUM’s women’s ministries liaison, completed a three-week tour focusing on projects in the region that minister to women.

JORDAN

The leaders met with the community youth of Project Madaba on Thursday. On Friday, they had meetings for the women in the Jordan Section who are involved in ministry. They spent Sabbath with the Amman Church in divided sessions. Pastor Joseph Small (Heather-Dawn’s husband) conducted a session for the men on marriage while Nilde presented a Bible study for the women on Rahab. Following the discussions, Heather-Dawn gave a sermon to the whole group entitled “God Knows Your Name.”

LEBANON

In Lebanon nearly 100 women gathered in a weekend retreat where Heather-Dawn spoke on the theme “God Knows My Name.” This event was designed to be an outreach program for the non-Adventist women attending as guests of their friends, as well as a spiritual retreat for the Adventist friends. It was amazing to see this mixture of women of different ages, different cultural backgrounds, different religions and different languages, all praying and singing together, making crafts, socializing and studying the Bible together. The women were blessed by the messages received from Heather-Dawn and Nilde that they felt physically and spiritually nourished and ready to face life's challenges in a new and profound manner. The women returned to their homes filled with the joy of assurance that “God knows my name.” He knows me personally.

Prior to the retreat, Heather-Dawn, Nilde, and Amal had the opportunity to visit two of the community outreach projects and speak to the women there. Nilde spoke to the Middle East University’s female dormitory students while Pastor Small presented a seminar to all students.

EGYPT

After leaving Lebanon, the leaders spent several days in the Egypt-Sudan Field where Heather-Dawn spoke at a weekend retreat for Adventist women in Asyut, presenting the same topics. Pastor Joseph conducted two seminars, one on marriage and one on the topic “Abide in Me.” In addition, they visited the Abu Talat Project in Alexandria that provides sewing and literacy classes for women as well as a kindergarten for neighborhood children.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The visit ended in the Gulf Field region where Heather-Dawn provided an online Friday vespers for the entire Field and presented the sermon and seminar at the Dubai Central Church on Sabbath.