Administrative Structure
In 1996 the Inter-American Division (IAD) launched WM with Waveney Martinborough as the first director. At present there are WM directors in each of the 13 unions and in 70 of 75 conference/missions with thousands of church leaders. All 42 of the countries in that division have WM directors; these include the French and Caribbean islands from Trinidad to Jamaica, the three Guyanas, Central America, Colombia, Cuba, Santo Domingo, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Mexico.

Strategic Plan
There are four areas of focus:

1. Spiritual Enrichment - 47,178 women have attended some 800 plus weekend retreats during the first half of 2002, including 903 reclaimed members.
2. Education - There were 191 training seminars reported in one union. Literacy continues in the South Mexican Union with 87 literacy program centers. Hundreds of seminars in spiritual gifts, health, nutrition, vegetarian cooking, and first aid have been held.
3. Ministry to Young Women - Part of the strategic plan is to encourage teen prayer conferences, career guidance training, and teen involve-ment in WM.
4. Evangelism Empowerment - Many women are leaders of small groups that engage in evangelism and membership conservation. So far the women have conducted some 3,909 evangelistic programs resulting in 5,047 baptisms.

Future Plans
WM is planning to work with Family and Children's Ministries to train leaders to address some of the issues that frequently affect women.

Keep this division in your prayers so that God will continue to bless their plans for the future.

Administrative Structure
The Trans-European Division (TED) headquarters is located in St. Albans, England, and consists of 38 countries, from Iceland in the north to Pakistan in the east and South Sudan to the South. There are 13 unions, 1 mission, and 2 attached fields with a total membership of 92,991 members as of June 30, 2002. Much religious diversity exists from post Christian, highly secular northern Europe, to a conservative orthodox/Catholic mind-set in the Baltic, Poland, Hungary, the new countries of former Yugoslavia, and Greece, then to the very strict Muslim influence in the Middle East countries.

Challenges
In spite of the fact that Birthe Kendel who was voted as the first WM director of TED, worked tirelessly to promote WM it has had a very slow awakening in this part of the world. But a new vision for WM has caught on as something that there might be a need for despite the "liberated" culture.

Highlights
Norway holds 3 yearly regional retreats which have become very popular. Several churches in Norway have also started regular weekly WM meetings. One of these churches is located way up in the northern part of Norway where 7 ladies from the church meet together and are joined by 7 ladies from the community.

Great Britain has a large and active WM program. Retreats are organized yearly along with training seminars for the WM leaders.

Finland organizes WM retreats every year where non-SDA women also attend and we pray that all they hear will bear fruit in the future.

In the Netherlands a group of 60 women enjoyed a weekend of spiritual food and lots of fun. The highlight of the weekend was the presentation of a check for $2,100 to Valerie Fidelia, the WM director from the Middle East Union, for literacy programs and income generating projects for the women in South Sudan.

In the Baltic Union approximately 70% of the membership in our church are women and the women do a lot of the work of the church. During 2002 a group of the women in Latvia reported that they had held 3,063 Bible studies and that 4,060 new contacts had been made.

In Hungary a training seminar for the WM leaders was held in February 2002. Several women went home to their churches and started to work with women in their community.

In the South-East European Union a pioneering WM retreat was held. Over 20 women attended and several were non-SDA. In November and December weekend training seminars for the WM leaders in Serbia (formerly Yugoslavia) are being held.

In the Middle East small groups and one-to-one evangelism is most effective. In Iraq this is done by visitation to people who are sick. In Jordan the WM organized a series of meetings for women in the community under the title of "Women's Health Issues." In one refugee village where WM initiated literacy classes a total of 15 people have been baptized as a direct result.

In Israel great things have happened this year. Olga Murga held 5 evangelistic campaigns; one of these was in Nazareth. As a result 31 people were baptised, among them 17 Jews and 9 Arabs.

Things are happening in TED. Even though it might not be on such a grand scale as in many other parts of the world, by God's grace and His guidance we are moving forward. Please remember WM in TED in your prayers.

Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are devastating mental illnesses that can lead to permanent organ damage and even death if not treated. Ninety percent of the people who suffer from eating disorders are women and it is most common among teenage and young adult women.

The two main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is defined as a mental disorder involving a preoccupation with weight and thinness. An individual may lose excessive amounts of weight by avoiding food completely, basically starving themselves and/or exercising to excess. Bulimia is characterized by compulsive overeating usually followed by self-induced vomiting or laxative abuse, and is often accompanied by guilt and depression.

Indicators

• Intense fear of becoming fat and claiming to feel fat even when emaciated
• Weight loss of 20% or more of body weight with no known illness that would account for the loss
• Moodiness, depression, and increasing social isolation
• Binge eating—consuming large amounts of food in a short time, usually done in secret, followed by purging—use of self inflicted vomiting or laxatives to expel the just eaten food
  

Prevention

• While all the causes are not known, it is certain that incorrect notions of beauty, particularly in the media, contribute to the problem. Therefore, involvement in political action against this could be helpful
• Talk about the issue in youth and/or parent groups

Intervention

• Provide support for the person. Encourage them to get treatment. It is important that they know they are not alone in facing this problem
• Provide support for the family of the individual. They may need help to see the problem as genuinely serious and in need of immediate professional attention. Encourage an attitude of support
• Get them involved in a professional treatment program with people trained in treating eating disorders
• Do not try to treat this yourself

Healing

• Maintain a relationship with the person in treatment if you can
• If they are involved in treatment and if it is appropriate, take time to be involved in the support groups offered by most treatment facilities
• Because the healing process is often painful and slow for both the individual and the family, family members may need encouragement not to stop treatment
• Talk with treatment professionals about how you can best work with them to provide support

Theological Issues

• It may be helpful to explore issues regarding perfectionism in terms of what God expects and the expectations Christians place on one another
• It may be appropriate to explore value systems and how it relates to God's acceptance of people

Information for this article was taken from the Southern Asia-Pacific newsletter, Number 22, July, 2002.

More information can be found at www.healthywomen.org under the health topic eating disorders.

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Tanzania Women's Memorial Fund

We wish to thank those of you who have sent in contributions to the Tanzania Women's Memorial fund. To date we have collected $7,360.00 to build a Women's Centre in Mwanza in memorial of the 61 women who died in a train accident in June, 2002. The proposed amount for the centre is $50,000. We will show a month by month graph of the amount collected so you can see the progress being made and also know how much we still need.

We, at the GCWM, are committed to this project as we know you are and thank you for your sacrifice on behalf of our Tanzania sisters and their families.

Tanzania Women's Memorial Fund
Goal: $50,000
Received: $7,360

Coordinate WM Special Days with Pastor Now

Many pastors plan their year's sermons and church schedule at the first of the year. This is a good time to talk to your pastor about including the three special WM days on the church calendar for 2003: International Women's Day of Prayer, March 1; Women's Ministries Emphasis Day, June 14; and the Abuse Prevention Emphasis Day, August 23.

If adjustments need to be made to fit the local church calendar, this is a good time to do it—not after the calendar is full.

Still wondering what to give that special friend or family member? If they are women, your problem is solved. Get them the 2003 WM devotional book Bouquets of Hope. After all the fear and uncertainty of 2002, what better way to begin the New Year than with a daily reminder of the hope that is assured to all who place their trust in Jesus.