NN July 2020 Page 5

01 Jul

PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR DR. MARK B. JOHNSON

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Boulder, Colorado … Dr. Mark B. Johnson, Executive Director of Jefferson County Public Health, was presented with the American College of Preventive Medicine’s Distinguished Service Award at their annual meeting on Friday, June 26. The award comes after his more than 30 years in membership and service of the ACPM. See the full story here.

Referred to as a “public health icon,” in September 2019 Dr. Johnson, won the Lifetime Achievement Award from Public Health of the Rockies. Among Johnson’s achievements in his role as a public health expert was helping to write and pass the Colorado Public Health Act in 2008, ensuring that “core public health services are available to every person in Colorado.”

Commenting for NewsNuggets, Johnson said, “I feel extremely fortunate that my Boards of Health during my tenure have encouraged and supported my work with my medical specialty society as well as our state public health and medical organizations. This has allowed me to keep up with what is going on and be involved in these fields both at the state level and nationally.”

Together with the Boulder Adventist Church, where Johnson serves as its Vision Board chair and is a popular lay preacher and facilitator in The Journey Connect Group, and the Rocky Mountain Conference, we join Dr. Johnson in celebrating his achievement in sharing a health vision affecting our daily life in Colorado and beyond.

He is married to Diane and they have two adult children and three granddaughters. They live in Louisville, Colorado.

–RMCNews with Becky De Oliveira

01 Jul

NAVAJO BAPTISM INSPIRES LA VIDA MISSION COMMUNITY AMIDST PANDEMIC

In

By Dorie Panganiban — Farmington, New Mexico … Beautiful things are happening at La Vida Mission amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. While our daily services and various ministries and work duties continue and Sabbath worship for our missionaries takes place outdoors every week at our Tree House Park, God has enabled us to reach out to our native brothers and sisters through our Food Distributions and Free Propane Disbursement. Connections through Facebook, texts and phone calls, Bible studies, and corporate prayer in members’ homes have continued and through the Holy Spirit’s working, hearts have been changed and decisions made to surrender lives and follow the Lord all the way.

On Sabbath, June 27, two Navajo young men, Brothers Zachariah and Xavier George, sealed their decisions to give their hearts to God and become members of the church through baptism. This was officiated by Pastor Steve Gillham, director of the La Vida Mission. Because the Tribe’s Health order does not yet allow us to meet in the church, their baptisms were conducted in a tank by the dried pond at our Tree House Park.

Both of these young people have been coming to our church for quite some time with their youngest brother, Yngwie, and their parents, Jason and Bertha, who were baptized several years ago during our Native Camp Meeting in 2016.  Both boys gave testimonies, telling how their parents’ baptism and their membership in the Church have made a huge change in their family where drugs and alcohol, physical and verbal abuse are part of the norm. They expressed their gratitude for the love and warm acceptance that their family received from the members of the La Vida Mission Church, which to them serves as an inspiration, encouragement and a guiding light shining in their paths. Please join us in prayer as we continue to minister to this special group of God’s people, our Navajo Native Community.

–Dorie Panganiban is community outreach director, La Vida Mission; photos supplied

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