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The Southern Asia-Pacific Division's three-day Annual Council Meetings began on November 7, 2022, at the Life Hope Impact Center in Silang, Cavite, Philippines. This is the first in-person gathering since the pandemic and a chance to get together and discuss church matters, including organizing the church for missional advancement.

The delegation from the General Conference was led by Pastor Erton C. Köhler, executive secretary of the Adventist World Church, along with Pastor Geoffrey Mbwana, vice president; Mrs. Daisy Orion, associate treasurer; and Pastor Khamsay Phetchareun, who was recently appointed director for the Center for East Asian Religions. The Southern Asia-Pacific Division's senior management, junior executives, departmental leaders, union leaders, and representatives from the division's institutions are present for this important meeting.

This meeting's objectives go beyond just planning, discussing, and delivering. This gathering gives leaders the ability to immerse themselves in the present moment as a chance to share their spiritual journeys in their mission fields and discover from the experiences of other leaders how the Lord has guided each leader in their missions. This training equips leaders to tackle obstacles head-on, choose actions that advance their missions, and lead according to God's knowledge and direction.

The Shepherd and Sheep Relationship
On the first day of the annual meeting, Mrs. Daisy Orion, the associate treasurer for the Adventist World Church, gave the spiritual meditation. Orion discusses the characteristics of the sheep and the reasoning for Jesus' use of the analogy of Himself as the shepherd and "we" as the sheep in her devotional discourse. Sheep are known for several undesirable traits, including being helpless, unable to defend themselves, and uneasy when tense.

Despite all the negative traits that sheep possess, there is a shepherd who pays close attention to ensure that each sheep is identified and cared for. The sheep find safety and comfort in the shepherd's voice (John 10:3). A sheep will not go to anyone else but instead rushes to see its shepherd when it hears his voice (John 10:5). A devoted shepherd will spend the night right next to the fence to watch over his sheep and keep wolves from getting to them. The shepherd will look over and watch over his sheep with caution.

“The Lord is My Shepherd is a working relationship. When the shepherd is concerned about His sheep, I know that Jesus is concerned about me,” Orion said. “God has created us, and He has chosen to create us,” Orion added.

God knows His flock like a shepherd knows His sheep. He protects His flock because He knows how weak and defenseless His people are. A shepherd will find ways to pull His sheep back upright when He sees that they are falling and are about to face impending danger. A sheep may be found wandering away from the flock, innocent and stupid, and it may even wind up walking right off a cliff, but a good shepherd will not permit such a thing to occur while He is watching. In the same way that God values His people, so does he value his sheep.

How does God love every one of us, Orion explains? Because of God's unending love for us, He will treat us with the same unwavering love that a shepherd shows his flock, even though we were made to be different in our special ways, covered in flaws and shame, and tempted to fall repeatedly.

“It is only through our Shepherd, Jesus Christ, that we can attain peace, tranquility, calmness, and soundness of mind,” Orion stressed. “A flock that is always restless, discontented, always agitated, and disturbed never does well; however, when the flock sees the shepherd, the flock stops all this nonsense rivalry, and they suddenly become calm,” Orion added.

“They know and trust their shepherd.”

Edward Rodriguez, SSD Communication Department