Adventist Journey

This month’s issue of Adventist Journey features Barbara McDavid, church volunteer in Las Vegas, Nevada

This month’s issue of Adventist Journey features Thais Martins, a student missionary teaching in Ebeye, Marshall Islands.

This month’s issue of Adventist Journey features David Reed, an Optician from Walla Walla, Washington.

Dr. Pamela D’Souza-David was born into an Adventist family and always “knew” Jesus was there, often praying and connecting with Him. She moved to Hong Kong from India when she was very young and eventually settled in the United States. A self-proclaimed “biology nerd” D’Souza-David thought she would become a pediatrician but a brief conversation with another student had her thinking ophthalmology–which meant harder exams and a major shift. She wasn’t sure what to do until she heard a Sabbath sermon by U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black on prayer and prayed. She put in the work, tested, and got a score higher than she had prayed for. But it wasn’t smooth sailing as D’Souza-David joined the workforce and then later attempted to start her own practice while balancing family life and dealing with COVID-19 pandemic closures. D’Souza-David is featured on the cover of the July/August 2025 Adventist Journey magazine.

Bizu Silwal is an Adventist who is passionate about serving as a Nepalese Refugee Ministry leader in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He joined the Adventist Church as an adult after searching for God through a few different paths. Silwal is featured on the cover of the June 2025 Adventist Journey magazine.

Southern Adventist University college student Heidi Burke was born into a Seventh-day Adventist Church family and immersed in all the typical activities: Sabbath church attendance, Pathfinders, going to church school. She didn’t really feel like she “belonged” until she went to college and had to advocate for herself as an adult. “Accessibility isn’t something that is just going to happen” was Burke’s takeaway during her first week of college. While she advocates for accessibility at Southern, her mission as an advocate for accessibility will move beyond her campus. Burke is featured on the cover of the May 2025 Adventist Journey magazine.

Dr. Mavis Major’s family became Adventist when she was young due to an Ingathering visitor who ended up doing Bible studies with her mom. Her mom was later recruited to work at Oakwood University (then Oakwood College), so the family moved from Delaware to Alabama. Her early years were not easy and Major, a social worker by training, had to learn how to rely on God—and how to forgive herself for not being “perfect.” One of her biggest strengths is compassion for those hurting. Majors is featured on the cover of the April 2025 Adventist Journey magazine.

Richard Green grew up in the church but took a detour in his faith journey in his teen and young adult years. Several people came into his life that inspired him to seek God and service, including an elderly woman, “Grandma,” who inspired him with an “impossible” dream to help an orphanage in Uganda. Living in the mission field now in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, with his family, Green believes that we all have a God-given purpose and he finds joy in serving. Green is featured on the March 2025 Adventist Journey magazine.

Lilian Oketch is a business owner and entrepreneur living in Des Moines, Iowa. Oketch, an immigrant, married at a very young age. After Bible studies, Oketch decided to get baptized. Later, as a mom going through a divorce, she worked a cleaning job to make ends meet. She heard God’s voice while cleaning (and praying) the Adventist church — a clear message that she was to open a cleaning business that would help not only her family, but people in the community. She listened and registered her company in 2018. She employs nine employees. Oketch is featured on the cover of the February 2025 Adventist Journey magazine.

Although Jessica Moon was very involved in the church growing up in Canada, going through an illness in her teen years grew her personal relationship with Jesus and fortified her faith. Seeing God work in her life also helped her stay committed to the goal of becoming a teacher. She and her pastor husband have always accepted God’s call in ministry, even if it meant leaving their home/country. Moon is featured on the cover of the January 2025 Adventist Journey magazine.