A Publication of Maranatha Volunteers International ISSUE 1, 2025
A PLACE OF PEACE
India’s Pine Hill Adventist Academy is life-changing for its local students and refugee children from Myanmar.
SIKAUNZWE, ZAMBIA
The Sikaunzwe Seventh-day Adventist Church is made up of faithful members who prioritize evangelism in their community. After starting with only 15 people, they quickly grew to 60. But despite the positive growth, this congregation kept running into a wall—or lack thereof. Periodic windstorms whip through the area, and when they do, Sikaunzwe’s sanctuary is destroyed. The metal roof can fly away, the walls crumble—it’s a serious hazard. One member was cut by flying metal. “We brought some medicine, and he tried to put medicine on so that the wound may not be painful,” recounts head elder Misheck Nkomo. This catastrophe isn’t an isolated event. Misheck says this happens a handful of times each year. After each storm, they rebuild.
This cycle is taxing on the members, who meet unprotected until they can reconstruct their place of worship, again. Yet they keep coming, committed to their mission to spread the gospel in their village. But with the unsafe conditions or no building at all, often community members are resistant to attending. Unfortunately, Sikaunzwe’s story isn’t unique in Zambia. Across the country there are many congregations that meet in unsteady or incomplete structures like this one. In response, Maranatha is continuing its work of providing solid places of worship throughout Zambia, mostly One-Day Churches, to congregations in need. Each building provides stability and safety to passionate members who simply need a consistent, permanent spiritual home.
Julie Z. Lee Editor Heather Bergren Managing Editor/Designer Dustin Comm Writer Sidney Needles Writer
UNITED STATES HEADQUARTERS:
Maranatha Volunteers International 990 Reserve Drive Suite 100
Roseville, CA 95678
Phone: (916) 774 7700
Website: www.maranatha.org
Email: info@maranatha.org
IN CANADA:
Maranatha Volunteers International Association c/o V06494C
PO Box 6494, Station Terminal Vancouver, BC V6B 6R3 CANADA
All notices of change of address should be sent to the Maranatha Volunteers International United States address.
Maranatha spreads the gospel throughout the world as it builds people through the construction of urgently needed buildings.
About the Cover:
A student at Pine Hill Adventist Academy in India is academically motivated by its quality curriculum and spiritually nurtured by its loving community.
Photo by Sidney Needles
Photo by Dustin Comm
When you hear the word Cuba, what comes to your mind?
Over the past 31 years that Maranatha has worked in the country, I have asked that question to many people. The answers have ranged from Castro, to communism, to cigars, to Christianity.
If I were to ask myself that question today, what comes to mind is “extreme challenges.”
Right now, the people of Cuba are suffering from a lack of food, medicine, fuel, electricity, and other basics of life. As a result of these difficulties, the way Maranatha is helping Cuba has had to change. Over the past 18 months, Maranatha has shipped ten containers of food for church members across the island and for students at the Cuba Adventist Theological Seminary. Currently, more containers are being planned.
Maranatha, along with other supporters, are providing much needed help for the operation of the seminary. Since Maranatha first built the campus in 1996, virtually all the pastors in Cuba have been trained at that facility. Today, the need for pastoral training is
SHARING THE Mission
SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR AWAY
By Don Noble
greater than ever as there has been a significant departure of church leaders from the island, due to the desperate living conditions. The seminary currently has about 100 students, and the plan is to expand enrollment to the capacity of 150. We have been blessed with generous donations to help this important training facility and for food to feed the students. Now, we are praying for additional support due to the lack of the ability for Cuban students to pay for their expenses.
Some have asked whether we are still providing churches in Cuba and the answer is, yes. Over the years, Maranatha has helped with about 200 churches in Cuba, and the Church is currently still growing. When things are really difficult, people turn to God, and that is exactly what is happening in Cuba. Churches across the island are being used, and new members are joining. We are also building a beautiful place of worship in the city of Nuevitas. What a blessing that will be!
Additionally, we are purchasing homes in Havana to be used as houses of worship, an approach that is popular in the capital city. Recently, we visited
one of these places, called Casa Blanca. The congregation is led by a woman named Daisy. I wish you could meet her. She is a wonderful representative for God in her community, and the Holy Spirit is working through her in amazing ways. When we asked if she needed anything to help her ministry, she said, “This house is now a church and we need a baptistery. We already have a number of people ready to be baptized, so please help us with a baptistery.” I believe God will touch someone to help make this happen.
Cuba is a wonderful country, and despite their challenging living conditions, God is blessing the people spiritually. Sometimes I wonder if they are better off than those of us who may not realize how dependent we are on God in our daily lives.
Maranatha is working in many places around the world, and Cuba is still on the list. Your support for Cuba can certainly make a big impact and provide people with hope.
Don Noble is the president of Maranatha
AROUND THE World
A snapshot of volunteers and projects in the mission field.
Maranatha volunteers from the SAGE ministry of the Washington Conference of Seventh-day Adventists built the walls of the La Nueva Barquita Church.
Church.
their new One-Day Church.
ZAMBIA
Members of the Chifulo Seventh-day Adventist congregation love
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
KENYA
The Bondeni Seventh-day Adventist congregation has a new Maranatha One-Day
ZAMBIA
The large Education and Evangelism Center in the town of Mwami is now enclosed. When complete, it will be the only Adventist high school in the region.
Proud members of the Attur Seventh-day Adventist Church stand in front of their new sanctuary.
ZAMBIA
Maranatha drilled a water well for the Chilyaba Seventh-day Adventist Church and community.
The Salisbury Park Seventh-day Adventist Mission Compound in Pune, India, has a new clean water source.
BRAZIL
Maranatha completed a strong church structure for the Newton Pereira Seventh-day Adventist Church. Members will build up the walls using local materials.
Volunteers in India built up the walls of the Umbir Seventh-day Adventist Church.
UNITED STATES
Volunteers made a difference at Florida’s Camp Kulaqua, completing a variety of maintenance and construction tasks, as well as working on animal enclosures at the camp zoo.
INDIA
INDIA
INDIA
Leaders representing the Adventist Church in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and parts of Minnesota, worked on a Maranatha project in Peru as part of an annual retreat.
LAKE UNION ADVENTIST LEADERSHIP SERVES IN PERU
In January, leaders of the Seventh‑day Adventist Church in the Lake Union put their faith into action on a Maranatha project in southern Peru. This group included conference presidents, secretaries, and treasurers who worked together to construct a church building for the Chillca congregation. These worshippers used to meet in a member’s home, placing special emphasis on children’s programming in the smaller space. But now they have a beautiful building to worship in every Sabbath.
“This year for our annual officer’s retreat, we decided to come to Peru to build a church,” explained Lake Union President Kenneth Denslow. “We wanted to expose [volunteers] to the need there, but we also wanted to expose them to the success stories of the South Peru Union.”
The group was immediately struck by the passion of the Chillca congregation,
which persisted even without a proper place of worship. “The level of their dedication and commitment to that local church and the large Church is overwhelming,” said Denslow. “I think it’s an inspiration as we go forward to pass along and encourage churches and schools and even family groups.”
The Lake Union team was certainly inspired to partake in service, but they weren’t initially convinced of their capability. Denslow admitted, “I had never laid block before, and, frankly, I was a little nervous about whether we would have the skill level to do it.” His team members had plenty of experience in churches–ones that were already constructed that is. “To be honest, I think expectations for a church administrators group were pretty low,” Denslow joked. But Maranatha’s in country crew members were ready to provide the training necessary, and the volunteers were quick learners.
“Everybody pitched in,” said Denslow. “It was a powerful experience for them. It was bonding time for us as a team.”
This project was part of the Lake Union’s broader collaboration with the South Peru Union, called Project Amigo. “[We’re] doing an exchange of volunteers in all sorts of ministries: evangelism, construction projects, student missionaries, health programs. Whatever we can think of to be able to have this exchange and understand and realize that we’re a global community, a global church,” said Denslow.
From 2004 2006, more than 3,000 Maranatha volunteers landed in Peru, constructing nearly 100 churches and schools. In 2019, Maranatha returned to Peru at the request of the Seventh day Adventist Church in South America. Maranatha’s in country crew and volunteers have worked here ever since, providing urgently needed structures for faith communities.
WELL-DRILLING EFFORTS EXPANDED TO MALAWI
In November 2024, Maranatha began an effort to drill water wells in the Sub Saharan nation of Malawi. The impetus for this wave of projects is the poor distribution of clean water amongst Malawi’s rural communities. Maranatha has a water crew in Zambia, and a few members were sent to help in Malawi. So far, Maranatha has drilled at 24 sites.
Malawi is the fourth poorest country in the world, with more than 70% of its population living in acute poverty. The Seventh day Adventist Church there requested Maranatha’s help to alleviate the water shortage faced by those who cannot afford this vital resource. “Water scarcity affects more than just thirst,” said Maranatha’s country director for Zambia, David Woods. “These wells let kids go to school and women work more on enterprise
instead of spending time hauling water long distances. Plenty of water supports food sources like gardens and livestock. All these things will transform the quality of life for people tremendously.”
From 2010 to 2013, Maranatha completed more than 1,000 projects in Malawi. Most of these were One Day Churches constructed for rural congregations. Now, more than a decade later, these churches are the sites for drilling. Their leadership will serve as caretakers for each well and a point of contact for Maranatha moving forward.
more than drilling. These wells will inevitably require attention, no matter how well they’re installed and taken care of. Maranatha increases the longevity of its wells by making routine maintenance visits and responding to church leaders’ requests for repairs.
Providing clean water involves
VOLUNTEERS HELP BUILD ZOO AT CAMP KULAQUA
In January, Florida’s bustling Camp Kulaqua got a bit busier when 59 volunteers from Maranatha arrived to help spruce up the campus. The Seventh day Adventist summer camp and retreat center is one of the largest Adventist summer camps in the world, hosting roughly 50,000 visitors each year. Maranatha projects at Kulaqua are somewhat of a tradition, this being the seventh service trip volunteers have completed there.
In addition to various maintenance and construction tasks, team members had the unique opportunity to work on animal enclosures at Kulaqua’s zoo.
Camp Kulaqua’s zoo features a variety of animals native to Florida, like raccoons, bears, and porcupines, and several exotic species, like lions
and tigers. Maranatha volunteers built a wooden viewing platform to accompany the lion exhibit. They also completed a Barn Owl enclosure, complete with a sturdy wooden frame and metal wire screens.
The group tackled other projects around the camp in addition to their work at the zoo. They built a new audiovisual building, installed cabin porch railings, and replaced rotten benches. The team also repaired a boardwalk, which was damaged by Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
ATTACKED AT THE River
How a daily
chore nearly turned deadly, and how Maranatha is helping
Story and Photos by Dustin Comm
T“I knew that she was probably dead, because the crocodile, if he attacks, he doesn’t spare.”
here was anxiety in her eyes. They nervously darted left and right. She tried to avoid this place after what happened. But here she was again, back at the river where she was attacked. Three years earlier, Pelekelo Mwampole and her sister, Precious, were at this exact spot to collect water for their family—a chore they did twice a day. This is common for people across Zambia. For half the year, the country is dry as a bone—parched, brown earth for as far as the eye can see. Especially since many rural Zambians are subsistence farmers, recent drought has made the situation even more dire. Crops won’t grow, and families have a hard time sustaining themselves.
Without any clean water nearby, people find it wherever they can. On this day, Pelekelo and Precious were being asked to show Maranatha where they collected water: the Zambezi River. Their house is very close to the river, so it’s actually quite convenient—only about 100 steps. Though the walk is short, the danger is immense, as predators
It’s also not clean—people get sick because of parasites in the dirty water.
This spot where the girls came each day was particularly risky. Away from the rushing center of the river, it’s more swamplike here—the water has a layer of green sludge that cloaks what may lie in wait below the surface. Pelekelo was noticeably stressed to be near the spot again. At one point she mistakenly thought she was being asked to approach the water (she wasn’t) and shook her head “no.”
On a similar day in 2021, the girls walked to the water as normal. The first trip was uneventful—they filled their buckets and walked back to their house before returning for the
roam the Zambezi and attack from time to time.
second load. Having filled her bucket, Precious turned and started walking back up the hill. In an instant, she heard splashing and looked back to see only her sister’s leg sticking out of the water. She knew it was a crocodile. She dropped her bucket, bounded to the water, and grabbed a hold of her sister’s leg. She held on as the crocodile thrashed and pulled. After a horrific struggle, the croc finally let go and retreated. Precious dragged Pelekelo’s limp body up the bank.
“I didn’t want to lose my sister [right before my eyes],” admits Precious. “It was difficult. Even now it pains me.” Their mother thought she was gone. “I knew that she was probably dead, because the crocodile, if he attacks, he
doesn’t spare,” says Ruth Muleta.
Pelekelo was rushed to a hospital in the city of Livingstone, an hour drive away, where she stayed for around a month, her condition deteriorating. Finally a generous woman sponsored her transfer to the capital city of Lusaka where she got the care she needed. She received numerous screws and plates in her arm and faced a long road to recovery, but she would live. Today, she still doesn’t have great use of her arm and deals with constant pain, a reality that leaves her disheartened.
Though the accident took place three years ago, the scars, both physical and emotional, have left their mark on the entire family. Yet without another water source nearby, every day
SCARRING ENCOUNTER:
Pelekelo Mwampole stands along the Zambezi River where she nearly lost her life in a crocodile attack in 2021.
“They said, ‘Are we going to have water here?’ They saw the driller drilling with [only] dust [coming up] during the digging...The people were worried and were so quiet.”
the family must return to the river where this disturbing incident happened. Hundreds of people in this area are subject to the same daily danger. But a simple water well would prevent such accidents, which was why Maranatha was talking to Precious and Pelekelo in the first place.
Maranatha was about to drill a well at the nearby Katombora Seventh-day Adventist Church. Already, dozens of people were gathered as the large drilling rig set up next to the church. Soon, the loud machinery roared to life, and children jumped back, startled, only to return, giggling. Everyone knew what this could mean: no more unsafe trips to the river. Clean water. No more sickness. People were excited. There was another well drilled about a half-a-mile away at nearly
200 feet deep, but there’s a fee for that water, and most families can’t afford it. The people were hopeful Maranatha could hit water at that depth, providing free water to all.
But as the drilling continued through the afternoon and into the evening, the team drew near to 200 feet, where they had expected to hit water. Those gathered grew eager, then anxious as the work continued down to 220, 230, 245 feet. “They said, ‘Are we going to have water here?’” recounts Pastor James Nyundu. “They saw the driller drilling with [only] dust [coming up] during the digging ... The people were worried and were so quiet.” Finally at 260 feet, the crew hit water. “When they saw that there was a sign of water, they became so excited ... They even stood up —they were so excited and happy,” said James.
The new well will transform daily life in Katombora. Gardens will be watered, thirst will be quenched, hygiene will improve. And importantly, safety will be restored when collecting water. “The well at Katombora will be
lifesaving. Now the community members have access to clean water, which is absolutely free,” says Maranatha’s country manager in Zambia, Luke Johnson. “Also they don’t have to go back to the river to get water where there are thousands of crocodiles inside.”
This life-changing water also has a spiritual effect. Because Maranatha water wells are free to the entire community (many wells charge a fee that not everyone can afford) members and non-members alike can partake. “It’ll be a way of evangelizing, making friendship with the people; because they know this same church, they’re friendly with us. We drink water from their church. So it’ll be an open door for evangelism because the friendship will now be linked with the people,” says James.
So many positive effects in Katombora, all from something so basic as clean water. Yet there are many more villages at risk along the Zambezi and other bodies of water throughout Zambia. People still making dangerous trips to the water without much of a choice. Maranatha
is committed to continuing to help by drilling water wells in areas of need, spurred forward by sobering testimonies like Pelekelo’s. With your help, we can ensure stories like hers are eliminated across Zambia.
Watch a “Maranatha Mission Stories” episode about Zambia water and churches. maranatha.org/familyties or scan QR code.
TOWARD SAFER WATER:
1 Pelekelo holds the postsurgery x-ray that shows numerous screws and plates in her arm as a result of a crocodile attack.
2 This accident could have been avoided if the sisters had clean water from a safe source.
3 Maranatha drilled a well in the nearby village of Katombora.
4 Now people like Pelekelo and Precious have access to clean, safe water at the Maranatha well, instead of having to collect it at the river.
A Place OF Peace
Maranatha is building a new school for students escaping an old war.
By Sidney Needles
Maranatha broke ground on Pine Hill’s Elementary Education Center in September 2024. This is one of the organization’s largest projects of 2025 and will raise the school’s capacity from 350 to 500 students right away, with potential for much more in the years to follow.
Photo by Maranatha Staff
Two young girls perch on the lower mattress of the metal bunk bed. There are four others like it, lining the walls of their home away from home. Evening’s rosy hues illuminate its odes to girlhood. Walls are a gallery of doodles: the solar system, a large snowman, the name of a crush. A block of cubbies sits in the corner, storing ten sets of shampoos, soaps, and toothbrushes. A few bunks house teddy bears, and all are draped in colorful bedding. The girls sit on a lavender blanket. One of them clutches a small polaroid photograph in each hand. She chatters excitedly to the other in Mizo, a Tibeto-Burman language and the girls’ lingua franca. She’s describing the subjects of each picture when her animated chatter tapers off. She reaches beneath her glasses, quickly wiping at each eye. But she’s not quick enough, and wayward teardrops escape down her cheeks.
Hausian Len (affectionately known as Le-len) is a refugee student from the war torn country of Myanmar (formerly Burma), and her photos depict the loved ones she left behind. “Most parents send their children to other countries to save their children,” she explains. Le-len’s parents chose Pine Hill Seventh-day Adventist Academy in the Indian state of Mizoram. The school crowns a hilltop, 26 miles from the Myanmar border. Just 26 miles is all that separates two different worlds.
On the Myanmar side of the border, a violent civil war has raged with varying intensity since the nation gained independence from Britain in 1948. It has lasted well over seven decades, making it the longest civil war in world history. Since its successful coup d'état in 2021, the nation’s military junta has fought to maintain control of the country and squash hundreds of armed insurgent groups vying for the self-determination of their ethnic minorities. The impact on civilians has been severe. The United Nations Refugee Agency estimates that 1,182,500 people have fled to neighboring countries as of December 2024. And 3,520,700 more are displaced within Myanmar. Some flee racial persecution; others are avoiding the crossfire. Women and children are especially vulnerable, and men and boys are coerced into service by armed forces.
Le-len’s village saw a recent uptick in violence last year. “[During] 2024, [it was] very dangerous in my village,” she says. She describes burnt buildings, bombings, and frequent armed assaults that have rendered her home unrecognizable. Le-len’s parents, alongside many others, fled their village and rotated between several others in an effort to avoid deadly clashes.
On the Indian side of the border, Pine Hill offers Le-len safety, an education, and so much more. It’s the loving community she has learned to lean on while terrified for the wellbeing of her own. Because of poor cellular reception and her parents’ tenuous living situation, she often can’t communicate with them for long periods of time. “Sometimes it’s hard to study. In my classes, I cry sometimes,” Le-len admits. But she has found support from classmates and faculty. “They are friendly. And the teachers also, they are really kind. I like them,” she says. “In Myanmar, some schools are good, but there is … danger. In this school, there is no fight … there is peace.”
“Even till now fighting is going on in Myanmar. More and more people are coming in. So once they come, we cannot refuse them. In fact, we have to give them shelter—especially for children.”
Pine Hill was founded in 1988, after the local government gifted more than 100 acres of land to the Adventist Church. The school provides life-sustaining shelter to 35 students from Myanmar, who live in rented dorms on an adjacent hilltop. But it also transforms the prospects of its 315 local students. Most kids are from the nearby town of New Champhai. They take their bikes to school each day or catch a ride on a parent’s motorcycle or Pine Hill’s school bus. Many come from humble families. “Most parents work in agriculture … and they are very poor,” explains Pine Hill Principal Zodhanzauva Pachuau. Teachers help students apply for government scholarships. And the school’s robust academics help them earn merit-based aid. After graduation, many more career paths are available to them. They can earn more money to support themselves and their families. Education empowers them with possibilities.
Students from kindergarten to tenth grade benefit from Pine Hill’s wellrounded curriculum. It includes classes in music, baking, art, welding, soccer, and volleyball–in addition to traditional subjects like math, English, science, and social studies. Le-len is a bright student and enjoys the opportunity to hone a wide range of skills. “I really like music,” she says. “And there is a baking class and cooking class, so I’m really interested, and I really like this school.” Perhaps most impactful is Pine Hill’s “morals” class, where students learn about ethics from a Biblical perspective. It gives them the tools to contribute to the campus’ uplifting atmosphere and helps them reflect Jesus’ love to their communities after graduation. “Most of the parents and the students also, they choose our teaching because before we start every day, we pray together with the students. This is important,” says Zodhanzauva.
Unlike most of India, which is dominantly Hindu, the state of Mizoram has a Christian majority. The religion first appeared in this area during its colonization in the late nineteenth century. “The British came to India, and these hills were controlled by small kings,” explains Biakzidinga Renthlei, president of the Adventist Church in Mizoram. “And the British annexed India and … were followed by missionaries.” A large portion of Mizoram’s Christian population are Adventists, which contributes to Pine Hill’s popularity. Parents value the emphasis
on morality that pervades Pine Hill’s curriculum.
But Le-len’s place of peace has a problem: the school is unable to meet this high demand.
Pine Hill’s classrooms are at capacity. “It’s very crowded,” says Pachuau. Maranatha is helping to solve the need for more academic space by constructing an Elementary Education Center (EEC) for the campus. The building will include ten classrooms, surrounding a large auditorium. Since breaking ground on the project in September 2024, crews have leveled the hilltop and poured a foundation befitting the area’s mountainous terrain. This is one of Maranatha’s largest initiatives in 2025, and it will require the investment of a dedicated support system to see it through.
“Pine Hill Adventist Academy is the biggest school that we have in the eastern part [of the state], and we have a beautiful piece of land,” says Renthlei. “If sufficient help comes to that place, I think more students can be accommodated.”
Maranatha’s EEC will initially raise the school’s capacity to 500, allowing Pine Hill to nearly double its current student body in its first year, with more growth to come in the years that follow.
Investing in a school that is aiding refugee children is a top priority of the Adventist Church in Mizoram. “Even till now fighting is going on in Myanmar,” says Renthlei. “More and more people are coming in. So once they come, we cannot refuse them. In fact, we have to give them shelter–
especially for children. And that is what we are doing now.”
Because of the security and education Le-len is receiving at Pine Hill, she’s able to plan for her future. “I want to be a business [woman],” she says. “If my country is well after I have finished school … I will go back to my country, and I will … make a big business in my village.” The future of Myanmar is uncertain. But Le-len has hope. She dreams of the day her parents can cross the border to India and join her in safety.
There are countless more children like Le-len. Children who’ve never known a home without war. But unlike Le-len, they haven’t found a place of peace. They’ve been on the run since before they could walk. They’ve seen more death than life. They're least at fault, and most at risk. Do you believe that children are more than collateral damage? Are they worth empowering with brighter futures? What will you do to show them? Help Maranatha build classrooms at Pine Hill. Give children safety, education, and support. Give them peace.
Watch a “Maranatha Mission Stories” episode on Pine Hill. maranatha.org/pinehillschool
BRIGHTER FUTURES:
1 Le-len keeps photos of her loved ones back in Myanmar.
2 Students from kindergarten to tenth grade are nurtured within Pine Hill’s strong spiritual environment.
3 Pine Hill’s education empowers bright minds.
4 Thirty-five refugee students live in rented dormitories on a hilltop next to the school.
5 The Elementary Education Center Maranatha is building will include ten classrooms and a large auditorium.
6 More classroom space will expand Pine Hill’s incredible impact.
HOLIDAY BLESSINGS IN Sala
Volunteers build a school and a community in Zambia on the Christmas Family Project
By Sidney Needles
During the holiday season of 2024, 38 volunteers joined Maranatha’s annual Christmas Family Project in Zambia. Their main task was building classrooms for the Sala Primary School, located in southern Zambia. In addition to construction work, volunteers participated in several community outreach efforts, such as the organization of medical clinics, distributing school supplies, and sharing the true meaning of the holidays: Christ’s love.
CONSTRUCTION MEDICAL CLINICS
Volunteers on the construction team worked daily to build up the walls of a classroom at Sala. Those not laying block helped with unwrapping pews and cleanup.
Several healthcare professionals in the group led a medical clinic, which included triage, physical exam, dental, pharmacy, and spiritual care stations, for the campus and surrounding community. In total, the medical team treated 510 patients during the two and a half day clinic.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES DAY CAMP
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
Another team of volunteers put on children’s programs, which included Bible skits, games, songs, and crafts, throughout the project. Up to 300 kids attended.
Younger volunteers participated in the Family Project’s day camp. Among their daily activities: meeting a nearby village chief, visiting a farm to learn about local agriculture, helping plow a field with oxen, planting trees on the Sala campus, leading children’s programs, and preparing Christmas gifts for students. Volunteers’ celebration of Christmas was centered around the true meaning of the holiday. From singing carols to playing games to prepping gifts for Sala students and even the hotel and Maranatha staff, the team focused on the joy and the selfless love represented by the holiday.
Thanks to the generosity of donors, on Christmas Eve, volunteers presented nearly 1,000 students with colorful backpacks filled with school supplies like pencils, erasers, notebooks, rulers, scissors, and more. Teachers received educational supplies, such as chairs, chalk, erasers, notebooks. Student and teachers also received Bibles and books to start a school library.
CHRISTMAS SPACE FOR Sala
The Sala school provides more than 1,300 kids with a Seventh-day Adventist education. But enrollment far surpasses what their current buildings can hold, and Maranatha is fulfilling a request to provide more space on campus. So far in-country crew members and volunteer teams have constructed two 4-classroom blocks, a church building at Sala and will soon begin working on staff housing units.
A Missionary LIFE
Excerpts from a recent “Inside Missions” podcast interview with Maranatha’s Susan Woods
Our podcast, “Inside Missions,” recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, and one of the latest guests was Maranatha’s medical services coordinator, Susan Woods. She grew up as a missionary kid in Asia and later took her own family into the mission field to serve in several countries around the globe, including with Maranatha. Over her lifetime, she’s experienced a wide range of danger and harrowing situations, from wartime air raids to local violence, and even attempted break-ins and muggings. But she’s also seen how God has been faithful to her and her family as they have worked to expand God’s kingdom. Below are selections from this episode, hosted by Dustin Comm.
Dustin: You have grown up and lived in so many places around the world. You told me that over the course of your life, living in a number of different countries, living through war, violence, personal attacks, life threatening injuries to your family—you were even pregnant a couple times abroad. … Through it all you have experienced several themes of God’s goodness and faithfulness, so I want to talk to you about some of those themes today. The first idea that you talked to me about is that “God keeps you safe wherever you are.” And you experienced this even as a child in Asia didn’t you?
Susan: We did live through a war when East Pakistan became Bangladesh … At one point we did have to leave the country but initially we would have mobs show up at our gate sometimes, and at times we did have people come and hide in our house … We were living near an air force base, so some of my memories are from the nine months that we lived there. We would have air raid, and we also had
blackouts—at night no light was supposed to be seen. My brother and I, when we were on the playground if the air raid siren went off, you had to fall down on the ground and lay flat. Or if inside, we got under our desks.
Dustin: How did [your parents] kind of protect you or help you navigate this situation emotionally as a young child?
Susan: One thing I remember very clearly then, and this still has quite an impact on me, is that we learned Psalm 91. Our teacher had us go over that, and I haven’t forgotten it all those years. But that was something that reminded me that God was always with us no matter what. No matter if those darts are flying around or whatever it talks about, you know that whatever is going on, God is with you.
Dustin: Eventually you become a nurse and marry David (Maranatha’s country director for Zambia and North America). You’ve spent your young life or most of your
young life in the mission field. He spent some time in the mission field as a student missionary in Africa. So how did you begin to see your life of service coming together and witness the second theme of what you talked to me about, which is that “the mission is wherever God puts you”?
Susan: One of the things that Dave and I had in common early on was that we were both interested in serving crossculturally. I think everybody is a missionary wherever we are. God gives us a mission where we are, and wherever we are He expects us to share His love with others. … Early on when we were three years into our marriage, we ended up moving to Malawi, and we had our first child born there. We were there a couple years and made lifelong friends.
Dustin: What were you most proud of in all of your work throughout that time with Maranatha in Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe?
Susan: Early on in Mozambique we were able to go to a dedication every Sabbath. That was exciting. It got old in some ways just because you did a lot of it, but it was always exciting. People were so excited; it’s still exciting for me to go to a church dedication or school dedication because you think about all the thousands of people that are going to be impacted by this. … No matter where we’ve been, we just see churches grow, and the schools grow, and God blesses immensely and immeasurably. And even though we don’t have a very big part in it, we were willing to go and that was helping things along. So no matter what we experienced, we were just so blessed to see what God is doing; it’s just amazing to me.
Dustin: You endured a lot of things over many years, whether it was through your childhood or through your young run as a parent. How did you work through those things?
Susan: I had a strong faith in God because I’d been through a lot, and I always felt like God helped me through it—gave me strength to make it through even though I struggled. I remember just feeling like when our daughter died (while in the mission field, the Woods lost their baby daughter, Rachelle, to an undetected rare heart defect) that my prayers were bouncing back straight at me. I felt like God had to be there; I knew He had to be there. I knew He was there. He’d been there before. He wasn’t going to leave me now, but I just felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere. About five months down the road, I woke up one night, couldn’t sleep, and I started to think about all the things I was thankful for. I know Paul admonishes us, in everything give thanks. I got up and wrote down all the things I was thankful for even though our daughter had died. I was thankful that she didn’t have pain and suffering, that she
had just fallen asleep. But I was able to sit down and write those things out, and that helped me to give thanks in things like that .
Dustin: You mentioned your daughter Rachelle passing away as a baby, would you tell us about the project that we’ve dedicated in her honor?
Susan: A few years back David and I were really blessed to do a lot of site visits in Zambia. … [Church leadership] asked us to come to this place, they called it the Bethel Church. They showed us this big pile of bricks, and they’d been praying because they felt like they needed a medical Ministry there. They said, “We need a clinic. All these women that deliver babies have to walk so far.” … Another mission family, who was very much a part of Maranatha, shared some funds with us and said, “Please use this where we see the need is best.” … Later on we were able to contribute some, and some dear friends did as well, and we were able to sponsor a clinic there, which has been built by volunteers last year. We were part of a project there that was really awesome and to be able to dedicate it. They asked us what the name would be, and Dave and I just really felt like we wanted to dedicate it, thinking about the mothers in the community who had little ones. So many children in Africa die young. So many people we knew were going to funerals for little ones over the course of the time we lived there. We just knew that the clinic would be a big benefit to people there, and we were just excited to be part of that. It’s called Rachelle’s Place of Healing. I didn’t want it to have our name on it necessarily, but, Rachelle, we’re looking forward to meeting her someday, and hopefully there’ll be a whole bunch of other people that have been blessed by the clinic that she’ll get to meet.
Listen to this full episode of the “Inside Missions” podcast! maranatha.org/podcast
HOW YOU’VE Helped
NASERIAN, KENYA
A look at how your support is making a real difference for communities around the world.
LEAVING YOUR Legacy
When Sandra Whitney took the idea of raising funds for Maranatha’s water well drilling program to her women’s ministry at the Sequim Seventh day Adventist Church in Washington state, the first question they asked was, “How much does it cost to drill a well?” She explained wells start at $10,000, but she quickly followed it up by reassuring them that the group didn’t have to fund an entire well.
But according to Sandra, “When God does something, He blesses. He absolutely blesses.”
Within the first six weeks, the group blazed past the $10,000 figure and kept climbing. The project was shared in a variety of ways. Sandra presented the idea to the church board, to the congregation during church one Sabbath, to a women’s prayer group, and to a women’s Bible study. The church also hosted Maranatha’s country director for Zambia
and North America, David Woods, who talked about the need for water around the world. Sandra even asked family and friends to forgo gifts for her birthday or Christmas and instead donate to clean water. She believes that through these avenues, God brought the right people to support the goal. “Even friends who were not Adventist gave—they saw how blessed we are, and the value of water to those less fortunate.”
In the end, the group raised $30,000 for water wells. “They were in awe of what God can do,” said Sandra. “Even the church said, ‘How did this happen?’ It was stunning. Stunning testament when you unite with the Lord and you let God lead.”
BEFORE Worshippers from Naserian, Kenya, attended church faithfully–even though it took place under a tree.
AFTER Now this congregation is shielded from the sun every Sabbath by their new One-Day Church.
PROGRAMS THAT NEED YOUR HELP
The $10 Church needs more donors to thrive. Will you give?
In 1878, a Seventh day Adventist congregation in Battle Creek, Michigan, needed a church. It would have to be a large building–big enough to hold thousands of people. The cost of such a church would be huge.
But how in the world would they pay for it?
After some thought, James White came up with the idea to ask every member to give just one dime a month to go toward a new sanctuary.
Just one dime a month. For one year.
A year later, the Adventists had a new church, and nearly 4,000 people came to the dedication on April 20, 1879. The church became known as the Dime Tabernacle, the fourth Adventist church to be built in Battle Creek. The sanctuary became an important meeting place, hosting several General Conference Sessions and even the funerals of both James and Ellen G. White
The Dime Tabernacle was destroyed in a fire in 1922, but its legacy lives on in Maranatha’s own $10 Church. Inspired by this very story of collaborative giving, Maranatha launched The $10 Church program in 1988, asking you to give just $10 a month toward the construction of one church a month.
For the past 30 years, your $10 donations have built more than 400 churches. But this program desperately needs reinforcement. If you don’t already, please join The $10 Church to provide monthly sponsorship of a new church. Members have been declining but construction costs are rising, and we are unable to help on a monthly basis without the support of more $10 donors.
So will you give? At least for a year? Imagine what we could build together!
Countries IN 2025
Here’s where Maranatha is working this year. BRAZIL CANADA
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
UNITED STATES
CHURCHES
SCHOOLS WATER WELLS CAMPS
CUBA
INDIA
KENYA
PARAGUAY
PERU
ZAMBIA
Dime Tabernacle, Michigan
PROJECT Calendar
DATE
Anyone can join a Maranatha mission trip! Check out our upcoming opportunities here or go to maranatha.org for the most updated list.
Apr. 24 - May 7, 2025 Zambia Project ZAMBIA
May 11 - 25, 2025 Andrews University Project MICHIGAN, USA
May 15 - 27, 2025 Peru Project PUNO, PERU
May 20 - Jun. 1, 2025 Glacier View Ranch Project COLORADO, USA
May 25 - Jun. 8, 2025 Andrews University Project MICHIGAN, USA
Jun. 8 - 20, 2025 Milo Adventist Academy Project OREGON, USA
Judy Shull School construction
Jon Harvey, Ron and Nancy Davis Dorm renovations
John Thomas, Jackie and Tyler Duffy Church construction
Dan Carlson, Marti Hartnell Camp renovations
Jon Harvey, Raquel Manso Dorm renovations
Don Kirk, Ed Jensen Dorm renovations
Jun. 9 - 20, 2025 Camp Cherokee Project NEW YORK, USA Ernie and Jeanice Riles Painting
Jun. 11 - 24, 2025 Kenya Project KENYA Loretta Spivey School construction
Jun. 19 - 29, 2025 Family Project PARAGUAY
Jul. 6 - 13, 2025 Union Springs Academy Project NEW YORK, USA
Jul. 24 - Aug. 4, 2025 Ultimate Workout PARAGUAY
Steve Case Church construction
Bill Boyd, Raquel Manso Dorm renovations
Elmer Barbosa, Loretta Spivy Church construction
Jul. 24 - 27, 2025 Ciudad del Cielo Dedication Trip DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Karen Godfrey Project Dedication
Oct. 2 - 14, 2025 Brazil Project BRAZIL Loretta Spivey Church construction
Dec. 19, 2025 - Jan. 1, 2026 Family Project INDIA
Go to maranatha.org to see all the volunteer opportunities being offered, including full projects and mission trips being coordinated by church or school groups.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Washington SAGE Team | Washington
Lowell Riverside Fellowship SDA Church | Michigan
Ambassador Learning Academy | California
AdventHealth Global Missions | Florida
Burton Academy and Arlington Church Team | Texas
Conejo Adventist Elementary School Team | California
Sandpoint SDA Mission Team | Idaho
KENYA
Northern California Conference Youth Team | California
Karen Godfrey Church construction
The following Group Project Teams served during the months of January through March.
PARAGUAY
Greeneville Adventist Academy Team | Tennessee College View Church Mission Team | Nebraska Mission IS Possible Team | Texas
PERU
Lake Union Team | Michigan Chisholm Trail Academy | Texas
Pacific Union College Team | California
TACUARATY, PARAGUAY
In January, 29 volunteers from Greeneville Adventist Academy, in Tennessee, headed to Paraguay to build the walls of the Tacuaraty Seventh-day Adventist Church. In addition to construction, the group also led children’s ministry programs and treated roughly 900 patients at vision clinics in five locations.
“There’s not much healthcare in that area,” says Cheryl Mathews, an adult sponsor on the trip. “We took, I don’t know how many extra suitcases of glasses and three to four bins of sunglasses to hand out.” By project’s end, the vision team had served roughly 900 patients.
The young volunteers also made
good progress on the church walls–enough so that by the end of the project, everyone was able to worship in the new church. Cheryl, who lived in Paraguay while her parents were missionaries in the country, was touched to see the growth of the Adventist faith. “We had our first sabbath meeting in the church, and I think that was really special … when my dad first went down there, there were just a handful of Adventists, to now knowing that there are [growing] churches.”
Maranatha renovated a church building in Paraguay from 1988 to 1989 and built more church structures and classrooms from 2001
to 2002. This work helped lay the foundation for Paraguay’s Adventist Church expansion in recent years. The Church now has 15,000 members, but will struggle to grow further without reliable places of worship. Maranatha returned to the South American country in 2024 to meet this need, and the students from Greeneville were grateful to help.
Says Cheryl, “[Service] instills in you the importance of having a connection with Jesus. I think it makes you realize that you can do something to help spread the gospel to others.”
Photos provided by Angela Emde
990 Reserve Drive, Suite 100
Roseville, CA 95678
Ultimate Workout
A MISSION TRIP FOR HIGH SCHOOL TEENS
July 24 - August 4, 2025
Paraguay
Travel into the mission field and see how God is leading ordinary people to make an extraordinary difference in communities around the world with our television program, "Maranatha Mission Stories."
HOW TO WATCH
BROADCAST CHANNELS (All times PT)
3ABN Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2:00 p.m.
Hope Channel Saturday, 3:00 p.m.
ON DEMAND
The Maranatha Channel App
Watch current and archived episodes and other videos on demand. Download for Apple, Android, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku.
watch.maranatha.org
View all episodes online at Maranatha’s video website. Find segments by using our “Search” function. Go to ultimateworkout.org for more information or call (916) 774-7700.
