For 20 years, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has been preparing humanitarian responders to act when disaster strikes. But during a recent emergency response training in Togo, one participant found an unexpected way to connect the lessons of emergency preparedness with the Bible.
Pastor Ben Issouf Ouedraogo, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Mission in Burkina Faso and chair of the ADRA Burkina Faso Board, was among 22 participants from 10 ADRA country offices attending the Core Emergency Response Team (ERT) training in Lomé.
When invited to lead a morning devotional, Pastor Ben decided to put what he had learned into practice. Drawing inspiration from the previous day’s session on Situation Reports (SitReps), he presented the biblical account of Stephen’s stoning and the persecution of the early Christian church in the Book of Acts as a humanitarian emergency report.
Using the structure of an emergency SitRep, Pastor Ben described the persecution of early Christians as a crisis that forced believers to flee Jerusalem. He identified the humanitarian impact, including displacement, trauma and urgent needs for shelter, food, healthcare and protection. He even addressed security challenges, response coordination and lessons learned.
His creative approach highlighted the connection between faith, preparedness and service, principles that have guided ADRA’s humanitarian mission for decades.
Breaking Language Barriers, Building a Stronger Network
The training marked an important milestone for ADRA’s global ERT program, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2026. For the first time, the course was delivered in French, making the training more accessible to staff from French-speaking countries across Africa.
Since its inception in 2006, ADRA’s ERT program has trained 1,028 participants and been hosted in 33 countries, including one virtual training during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond technical skills, the program has helped establish a shared culture of preparedness, connecting humanitarian professionals across country offices and regions and building the relationships and trust needed to respond effectively to emergencies.
“The ERT program has built a shared culture of preparedness and a network of staff connected beyond their own country offices and regions,” said Michael Peach, senior coordinator for Network Emergency Preparedness at ADRA International. “Delivering the training in French for the first time breaks down language barriers and strengthens these network connections. It’s about building the relationships, confidence, and capacity to respond as one Network.”
The French-language training had been a priority for ADRA’s Africa region for several years, reflecting the organization’s commitment to strengthening collaboration and emergency response capacity across Francophone countries.
Faith in Action During Times of Crisis
For Pastor Ben, the training reinforced the importance of ADRA’s role in the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, particularly when communities face emergencies.
Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges it presented to traditional forms of worship and ministry, he emphasized the importance of continuing to serve those in need, regardless of the circumstances.
“Just as ADRA, through its volunteers, was on the ground, reaching out to people to bring relief in isolation centers and providing essential supplies and care to those affected, so too will the work of ADRA never cease,” Pastor Ben said. “It will continue until the return of Jesus, always responding to humanitarian emergencies.”
He also encouraged church leaders and members to recognize humanitarian service as an essential expression of their faith.
“If church leaders and the believers grasp this reality, they will understand that ADRA represents another way of living out the Church; it serves as the hands and feet of the Church, reaching out to help the vulnerable among us.”
That connection is particularly meaningful in parts of West Africa, where the Adventist Church has a relatively small presence in predominantly Muslim communities. Through ADRA’s humanitarian work, the Church can build relationships and trust with people of different faith backgrounds, demonstrating compassion through practical service.
Initiatives such as ADRA’s Disaster Ready Church further strengthen this partnership by connecting congregations with disaster preparedness knowledge and humanitarian principles, helping them become better equipped to serve their wider communities.
For Pastor Ben, who also serves as Union Director for Adventist-Muslim Relations, these relationships are an important part of serving communities with compassion and respect.
His unexpected devotional offered a fitting reminder of what 20 years of ERT training has helped make possible: not only stronger emergency response skills, but also opportunities for people from different countries, backgrounds and experiences to learn from one another.
And sometimes, the most meaningful lesson comes when someone takes what they’ve learned and finds an entirely new way to share it.
