The Volunteer Issue 3 2021

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VOLUNTEER A Publication of Maranatha Volunteers International

I S SUE 3, 2021

HOME, SWEET HOME!

A look at how volunteers have been helping in the United States.

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VOLUNTEER

Julie Z. Lee Editor Heather Bergren Managing Editor/Designer Dustin Comm 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.

KAYENTA, ARIZONA, USA Who needs tongs when you’ve got hands? Ella Kim, volunteer, digs into the pasta salad, mixing up the spaghetti with all the oil, spices, and vegetables. This fun task was part of her rotation with the kitchen team on Ultimate Workout 31, Maranatha’s mission trip exclusively for teens. For ten days, 77 volunteers camped out at the Kayenta Seventh-day

Adventist Church, located in Arizona’s Navajo Nation, while working on school construction, health education, Vacation Bible School, and community outreach.

The kitchen team, led by veteran volunteer Margaret “Maggie” Petersen, served approximately 2,588 delicious meals during the project.

Photo by Rebekah Shephard

About the Cover: Tom Golston brings color and cheer to the Jamestown Seventh‑day Adventist Church construction project in Tennessee. He was one of 48 volunteers who participated in the effort to build a new place of worship for the Jamestown congregation.

Photo by Nick Evenson

SHARING THE

Mission

IN THE MIDDLE OF A MIRACLE

By Loretta Spivey

“Mom, how many mission trips have you gone on since they told you you could not go on any more mission trips?” This is my all-time favorite question because it shows that my son understands that I’m living in the middle of a miracle. He understands that every trip I lead is a testament to the power, mercy, and sovereignty of God. The middle of a miracle. I believe mission trips are just that. Of course, before you get to the middle there’s a beginning or the setup and in most cases, it happens at home—days, weeks, months, sometimes even years before the trip.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, you find yourself smack dab in the middle of a miracle.

• 40 sandwiches (without being cut in half) feed over 80 VBS children.

• Several people get caught in a riptide and all escape afraid, but safe.

• A senior citizen donates 20 bedding sets, and before you know it the number grows to 163 bedding sets.

• Someone begins the trip addicted to www.maranatha.org

cigarettes, drugs, or pornography and ends the trip experiencing freedom for the first time.

• A young man forced by his mom to go on a mission trip grows to love serving others.

• A man desperately seeking God finds Him in an unlikely place.

If the stories ended there, we could call it a win!

But praise God, that’s not how the story ends; that’s just the middle.

There’s more! The teenagers who experienced the modern-day loaves and fishes story go home knowing (and telling their friends) that God still works miracles.

The young man that went to Ultimate Workout and experienced his first 14 alcohol free days since he was 11 years old understands that only the Spirit of God gives true peace.

The young lady, addicted to pornography, went home understanding that true excitement is found in serving Jesus. She went back to her home life knowing that she is beautiful and valuable.

The man who asked God to show himself was disappointed because of God’s silence during formal worship services. Yet, found himself awestruck as he experienced God’s creation while he watched a tower of giraffe gracefully cross the grasslands of the African savanna. He went home with a new appreciation for the wonders of God’s creation and with the confidence that God answers prayers.

It’s a humbling and inspiring experience to watch God turn on the lightbulb and give me a glimpse of “The Middle,” but the coolest part is that these stories are to be continued…

As for me and the answer to the question, I’m in Arizona, in the middle of a miracle on my 29th Maranatha trip since the docs told me, in 2012, no more trips because of health issues. And like the other stories, while I know I’m in the middle, I’m more excited that this story is to be continued.

Come and join me!

—Loretta Spivey is a longtime Maranatha volunteer and project leader.

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AROUND THE

World

A snapshot of volunteers and projects in the mission field.

KENYA Kids celebrate the new water well at the Kwa Mulungu Seventh-day Adventist Church.

BRAZIL Not only is the Serra do Jacaré Seventh-day Adventist congregation using their Maranatha well for drinking, they now have clean water for baptisms right at the church.

ZAMBIA Members of the Kalubangwe congregation raise songs of praise as their One-Day Church goes up behind them.

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ZAMBIA Six staff housing duplexes rise on the campus of the Emmanuel Adventist Secondary School. Currently, some teachers must live off campus in a nearby town, walking three miles each way to get to and from school.

CÔTE D’IVOIRE We strike water at the 1,500-student Divo Adventist School in Côte d’Ivoire. Including community members, up to 4,000 people will benefit from this well.

INDIA A team of workers erects the structure of the Keela Kothainachiyarpuram Seventh-day Adventist Church.

UNITED STATES More than 40 volunteers renovate the girls dorm at Upper Columbia Academy.

INDIA Members of the Utharamcode Seventhday Adventist Church offer a prayer for subsequent well drilling. www.maranatha.org

ZAMBIA New classrooms are ready for students at the Liumba Hill Adventist School.

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News + H I G H L I G H T S

GIVING MONTHLY: Wellspring is a monthly giving program to support water wells. Donors are asked to commit to a monthly, online donation of a chosen amount to go toward the sponsorship of new wells and the maintenance of existing ones.

NEW MONTHLY WATER PROGRAM

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n response to the growing need for more wells around the world, Maranatha has launched Wellspring, a monthly giving program to support water wells. Supporters are asked to commit to a monthly, online donation of a chosen amount, whether it’s $10 or $100. The monthly proceeds will then go toward the sponsorship of new wells and the maintenance of existing ones.

“A few years ago, Maranatha refocused our interest in drilling water wells, and we started off kind of slow. But over the past year, we have really picked up pace, and now we are active in five countries. And in several of those countries, we’re really drilling a lot of wells,” says Kyle Fiess, vice president of projects. “This is something that will improve a lot of

people’s lives, so we’re excited about the program, happy to see it growing so quickly, and grateful to all the people who are supporting it.”

The recurrent giving program will provide a steady stream of funding for what has become a major part of Maranatha’s work around the world.

Already, Maranatha has constructed more than 1,600 wells with a goal to add hundreds more each year. The maintenance aspect of the water program is a new and necessary component. It is estimated that only 40% of the wells that have been drilled around the world are actually operating because of damaged parts, due to wear and tear. In response, Maranatha recently implemented a series of scheduled maintenance visits to all of

the wells we have drilled to make sure that parts are replaced.

“This maintenance program, which is part of Wellspring, will really allow Maranatha to say with confidence that our water wells are working, that they’re providing water to all the people around them, and that we can give assurance to our donors that their investment is working and it will continue to work in the years to come,” says Fiess.

Currently, Maranatha is drilling in Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, India, Kenya, and Zambia. To join Wellspring, go to maranatha.org/wellspring.

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BOLIVIA

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n 2018, Maranatha responded to a request from the Seventh‑day Adventist Church in Bolivia for churches, initially focusing near the cities of Cochabamba and La Paz. By the end of 2019, Maranatha’s commitment in Bolivia was nearly fulfilled, with a handful of remaining projects centered around the greater Santa Cruz area. Then, political unrest halted the work. Unable to continue, our crew left to assist in Peru, where hundreds of volunteers were expected during March 2020. Subsequently, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, preventing further work in either country for months.

Today, the political turmoil in Bolivia has calmed and there are very few COVID restrictions. In January 2021, Maranatha workers began trickling back into Bolivia to complete a handful of final projects.

They started at the Entre Rios Adventist School, where Maranatha

previously built three structures that house a library, teacher workroom, administrative office, bathroom, and six classrooms. The third building still needed stucco, sidewalks, paint, and finished electrical and plumbing.

Crews also erected three churches, providing the foundation, steel frame, and roofing—local members will add the walls in the future. Construction started with the Gremial congregation, which will boast the only church in the area.

The Cuatro de Septiembre congregation also has a proper new church structure to worship in. And the newly planted Pailón Sur church has a sanctuary of its own, which was the last church Maranatha completed in the country.

In all, Maranatha constructed 21 structures in Bolivia.

is done—future volunteers will lay the block walls.

Alongside these projects, our team welcomed its first volunteers in the country since March 2020. Over the summer, two volunteer groups served

in the town of Ica, where Maranatha is constructing a large 10-classroom school complex.

PROGRESS IN PERU

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fter more than a year of severe lockdown in Peru, Maranatha’s in‑country crew has made great progress over the past few months at various sites around the country, and over the summer, welcomed back volunteers for the first time in more than 16 months. Workers completed the La Alborada Seventh-day Adventist Church, where the local members will finish the front facade. The team has completed their work on several churches, including 30 de Agosto, which will soon be painted by a group of volunteers. The Ásia Church is ready for paint as well. And the Siete de Junio congregation’s foundation and structure www.maranatha.org

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Home, Sweet Home A tour of the busy U.S. mission field

By Dustin Comm and Julie Z. Lee

When it comes to mission trips, it’s typical for people to imagine passports, new cultures, and foreign languages. For most of the world, mission is adventure in places far from the borders of what we call home. Certainly this has been true even with Maranatha’s narrative as we’ve leaned heavily on this context to tell stories of faith and transformation in our magazine and our television program, Maranatha Mission Stories.

Yet, Maranatha has always had a parallel storyline of missions taking place right here in North America.

Renovation and construction projects in Canada and the United States have been a steady presence on the volunteer opportunities list, but in the past 18 months, the spotlight on U.S. projects got a lot brighter.

When COVID-19 closed borders in 2020, mission trips closed down too. But after two months of hunkering down to wait out an unpredictable storm, volunteers began to emerge, asking for opportunities to do something—anything of service. And U.S. projects stepped onto center stage. In June 2020, 53 volunteers gathered in Oregon to renovate Milo Adventist Academy.

With that single project, mission trips were back.

More than a year later, Maranatha volunteers are easing into international projects with small groups and select options. But U.S. projects have been a constant, steady presence. In the next pages, we take a look at the past few months of projects in the U.S. and the valuable work that our volunteers have been taking on in the mission field here at home.

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www.maranatha.org

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CAMP MIVODEN

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his beautiful, lakeside camp and retreat center has proven to be a volunteer favorite. Maranatha has organized more than 20 projects at MiVoden over the past two decades, and this year, in May, 91 volunteers joined the effort. There were so many people that one of the biggest challenges was making sure there was enough work to keep them busy. Initially, 20 work assignments were handed out, but because of the large number of volunteers and their efficiency, many of those jobs were completed quickly.

Camp management then created new tasks, and they were amazed with what was accomplished. Local Seventh-day Adventist leadership spent Sabbath with the volunteers and also praised their efforts and dedication.

Melody Wheeler has served on this project 10 times, leading seven of them, including the most recent. For Wheeler and her husband, Doug, serving at a summer camp connects them back to their own childhoods. “We both went to camp as kids, and we know that people gave to make our camps good.

Those are memories we cherish, and it’s a wonderful feeling to know that we’ve helped and improved a camp for kids today.”

THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS! • • • • • • • •

Enlarging beach area Landscaping Cleanup Dock repair Digging water pipeline Carpet cleaning New frisbee golf course Creating frontier theme at horse corral

CAMP LAWROWELD

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THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS! • Renovation of lodge and staff house • Installation of showers, toilets, vanities • Tiling floors • Electrical • 400-foot concrete sidewalk • Dock maintenance • Landscape clean up

n May, Maranatha completed its second project at Camp Lawroweld in Maine. On this latest mission trip, 28 people worked on various renovations and tasks.

Project coordinator Barbara Mayes filled in at the lastminute for the original coordinator, who became sick before the project. For her, the experience was a lesson in the unexpected ways God calls us to serve. “When I got the call, God was saying, ‘Your ways are not My ways.’” said Mayes.

“I consider myself a co-leader, because God is the true leader and knows what needs to be done.” Despite not having much time to prepare, Mayes successfully facilitated the work and the volunteer experience, including worship.

“As a leader, it’s hard to ask people you just met if they’d be willing to share in worship each day. But I’m always amazed at how open people are on a Maranatha trip. You share things on a Maranatha project that you wouldn’t normally share. People were very willing and the worships are very meaningful.”

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BLUE MOUNTAIN ACADEMY

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his year marked Maranatha’s eighth project at Blue Mountain Academy in Pennsylvania. Each time, volunteers have progressively renovated sections of the boys and girls dormitories at this boarding school. This April, 46 volunteers arrived to continue the work through the construction of new closets and door frames, hanging drywall and texturing, painting, and installing ceiling fans, lights, outlets, and switches.

In past years, one of the highlights of projects at Blue Mountain has been the interaction between volunteers and students. This year, because of COVID safety protocols, the two groups were kept separate, but that didn’t stop volunteers from going the

extra mile to show that they cared. After sleeping on well-worn mattresses in the dorm for a couple of nights, volunteer Raquel Natal Manso decided that the students deserved new ones. She organized a fundraiser among the volunteers, and during the project, raised $15,000! Working with both deans, 150 new mattresses were ordered, which will be a much appreciated upgrade for the students.

THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS! • Renovation of 18 dorm rooms • Demolition of 15 dorm rooms in preparation for renovation

MT. PISGAH ACADEMY

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ixty-seven Maranatha volunteers concluded a project at Mount Pisgah Academy in North Carolina, in June, where they renovated 41 rooms in the girls dorm. School officials and regional Seventh-day Adventist leadership were grateful for the boost to this important center for education.

The president and executive secretary for the Adventist Church in the Carolinas visited the project and expressed their appreciation for the volunteers’ hard work. The new life breathed into the building, as well as the landscaping work, will support the ongoing mission of Adventist education in the region.

THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS! • Renovation of 41 dorm rooms, including electrical, painting, flooring.

www.maranatha.org

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MILO ADVENTIST ACADEMY

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n June, just one year after being Maranatha’s first project postCOVID, nearly 50 volunteers returned to Milo Adventist Academy to continue the work.

Wherever volunteers were stationed, project coordinator and Maranatha board member, Ed Jensen, noticed them doing extra work beyond what was assigned. Like Donna Peterson, who worked in the kitchen preparing meals, but after seeing that her area needed a thorough cleaning, she vacuumed, scrubbed tables, and washed windows between meals. “These aren’t the kind of people who sit around and enjoy the ambience,” said Jensen. “They saw the need, jumped on it, and took care of it.”

School staff expressed their appreciation, not only for the hard work on this most recent project, but for Maranatha’s continued presence at Milo over the years. Maranatha’s first project at the boarding academy was

in 1989, and many of the facilities on the property have either been constructed or renovated by Maranatha volunteers.

The school now counts on this consistent boost to their facilities each year.

For first-time volunteer Ron Gadreault, not only was the work rewarding, but the community he joined was special as well. “I didn’t realize how much of a family it becomes, and how much people mean to you,” said Gadreault. “That is how Maranatha seems to be, a family helping others.

Everybody cares about each other and cares about the project, and we work together as a family works together.

And you get kind of sad when you have to leave.”

THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS! • Painting interior and exterior of girls dorm • Repairs in boys dorm • Finish work in staff housing • Construction and renovations at nearby Camp Umpqua

PROJECT PATCH

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THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS! • New siding • Painting in boys and girls dorms • Pressure washing, cleaning, organizing”

n August, 42 volunteers completed work at Project Patch, a therapeutic residential treatment center for at-risk teens in rural Idaho. Several of the main buildings on the property had become worn down over the past few decades, and the old siding was removed and replaced. Beyond the siding work, volunteers applied fresh paint in the boys and girls dorms, and completed other miscellaneous tasks like pressure washing, staining wood, cleaning, and re-organizing.

For 37 years, Project Patch has served thousands of struggling teens and their families, offering support, counseling, and academics for kids. Maranatha’s Director of North America Projects David Woods says, “If you’re trying to help a kid get their life in order, with the chaos that they may have come from, when the buildings are tidy and in good condition, that has an impact on the psyche of those who live and work here. Our volunteers aren’t just here installing new siding—these buildings enable this institution to perform a great ministry, and our volunteers being a piece of that is huge.”

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WEIMAR UNIVERSITY

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n June, 36 volunteers arrived in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains in northern California to serve at Weimar University, a school and institute for health, wellness, and evangelism. Throughout the project, several buildings on campus received new siding, drywall, and a deep clean.

But the main task was constructing a large, 2,100 square foot classroom building. Volunteers framed the structure in temperatures over 100 degrees, sometimes starting work days as early as 5 a.m. to beat the midday heat. “[This building] is going to help tremendously because we need to continue growing infrastructure,” said Rodolfo Ramirez, Weimar University’s

director of student services. “And you are doing something for us that we were not able to accomplish.

We’re going to have that classroom, and we’re going to be able to expand our college building so our students can continue to learn. And that’s something that they are going to be able to experience firsthand. It’s nothing conceptual, it’s right there—it’s a building. They’re going to be able to use it, they’re going to be able to have classes there, present, they’re going to continue their training, their studies.”

THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS! • Construction of a 2,100 square foot classroom.

• New siding and drywall installed on housing buildings • Deep cleaning in a number of buildings.

UNION COLLEGE

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THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS! • Renovation of 34 dorm rooms, including demolition, patching walls, painting, installation of new cabinets.

www.maranatha.org

n June, 65 volunteers renovated 28 rooms at Rees Hall, a women’s residence on the campus of Union College, located in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nearly half of the help was firsttime Maranatha volunteers, mixing with veterans who have served around North America and overseas. Two long-time volunteers traced their friendship back to one of Maranatha’s earliest projects in 1974. Like many of those first projects, Clyde Peters flew his own plane to a project in Nevati, Peru, where Duane Kraft served as well. Nearly five decades later, the two friends connected around service again. Peters lives near the college, but opted to stay in the same dorm room with his mission trip buddy during the project.

The project’s oldest volunteer was Eugene Golles, a 92-year-old from San Bernardino, California. “Gene was always working hard and in good spirits,” said Maranatha’s Director of Volunteer Projects, Lisandro Staut. “He always had a good word to share and was a great example for all our younger volunteers.”

Union College President Vinita Sauder expressed her gratitude to the volunteers for their efforts. “Thank you so much Maranatha and all of the volunteers for everything you’ve done,” said Sauder. “These rooms are beautiful now.

The floors, the paint, the chairs, the cabinets—we couldn’t have done it without you. This is amazing.”

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JAMESTOWN ADVENTIST CHURCH

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he congregation in Jamestown, Tennessee, is small but determined to grow their church. But first, they needed a new facility. Their original place of worship was very old, small, and offered little parking. After buying a choice piece of property and acquiring funding for a new building, the group turned to Maranatha for help. Using Maranatha’s standard church design for North America, volunteers flooded in to start construction from the ground up. Since the first project in July, some volunteers chose to stay and continue working. The church members have also gotten involved, arriving on the site whenever possible to continue making

progress on their nearly 7,000 square foot church, which includes the sanctuary, fellowship hall, pastor’s office, classrooms, and bathrooms. By September, volunteers and church members had all the interior and exterior framing complete, plumbing and electrical installed, insulation done, drywall started, and the steeple set.

THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS! • Framing • Setting windows • Some plumbing

Now available on demand OUR ANNUAL CONVENTION BROADCAST Join us on a virtual trip around the world to hear stories of how people have been blessed by the mission of Maranatha and how you are helping to keep the work going in 2021.

Watch anytime on: • • • •

The Maranatha Channel on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV The Maranatha Channel app for iPhone and Android YouTube at youtube.com/missionstories Maranatha.org/missionmaranatha

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P R OJEC T

Check out our upcoming opportunities here or go to maranatha.org for the most updated list.

Please note, projects are subject to schedule adjustments due to restrictions or complications that may arise from COVID.

Calendar

DATE

PROJECT NAME

PLACE

LEADERS

SCOPE

Oct. 12 - 26, 2021

Meadow Vista Adventist Church Project

CALIFORNIA, USA

Leroy Kelm

Church renovations

Nov. 4 - 14, 2021

Peru Project

ICA, PERU

Stacy and Laura Peterson, George Alder

School construction

Dec. 20 - 30, 2021

Family Project Kenya

KAJIADO, KENYA

Karen Godfrey, Danny Poljak

School construction

Jan. 5 - 13, 2022

Camp Kulaqua Project

FLORIDA, USA

Betty Beattie-Chrispell

Maintenance

Feb. 16 - Mar. 2, 2022

Zambia Project

ZAMBIA

Susan and David Woods

School construction

Mar. 10 - 22, 2022

Kenya Project

KAJIADO, KENYA

Loretta Spivey

School construction

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.

Thank You

FOR SERVING

KENYA

West Houston and Friends Texas

The following Group Project Teams served during the months of July through September.

PERU

West Houston Young Person Team Texas

Blue Print for Men Team USA

www.maranatha.org

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A NEW CHAPTER OF Service A story of loss, new hope, and community found through service.

By Dustin Comm

“It brings tears to my eyes thinking about it because God has made me fulfilled. He brought me from a really lonely place, to happiness that is beyond words.”

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ixteen years ago, Ron Gadreault was in a dark place. Physically, he was suffering the effects of a work accident that had left him with a broken neck and back. He was also battling Hepatitis C. Then, on August 24, 2005, his wife Debbie was killed in a tragic car accident that left him sorrowful and lonely. The combination of emotional and physical challenges left him drained and wondering if he’d survive.

Eventually, he reached a breaking point that brought him to his knees. He surrendered everything to Jesus—his situation, his happiness, his future. In time, he also longed for companionship again. He asked God to bring the right person to him. After using a Seventh-day Adventist dating app without success, he figured it wasn’t in God’s plan. He would stay single for the rest of his life.

“I said, ‘Lord, it looks like you don’t have anyone for me, so I’m going to delete this app,’” said Ron. The next morning, there was a message in the app from a woman named Julie. It said, “If God isn’t first in your life, you don’t need to respond to this message.”

Julie, from southern California, was a widow who had had her own goodbyes; her husband of 35 years, Donald, had been sick for a long time. When he finally passed to his rest, she was heartbroken and alone. Now she, too, was looking for a new beginning.

Ron responded to Julie, and it was a match. Soon, he began making regular trips from northern California, where he lived, down to Loma Linda, where Julie lived.

As the two dated, they imagined what their future could look like 1 together. Ron brought up Maranatha Volunteers International. He had followed Maranatha for years, even coming to the annual convention in the past. One of the things he grew to admire about Julie was how much she loved Jesus and her passion for ministering to others. For 35 years she had led out in Pathfinders at church, and Ron knew she would relish the opportunity to serve on Maranatha projects too. What if they could live out their calling to serve by going on as many Maranatha mission trips as possible? They could even purchase an RV and travel from project to project, while seeing North America. The dream was alluring, but Julie still had a handful of years to go before retirement, so the plan would have to wait.

On August 9, 2020, Ron and Julie were married at a small outdoor wedding at the Azure Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church. From there,

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their plan accelerated quickly. After investigating, they realized Julie could take an early retirement.

Then they happened to visit family in northern California in October 2020 and fell in love with the town of Grass Valley. They moved there in December 2020 and by February 2021, had their own motorhome for Maranatha adventures.

“It was so amazing to see God work, one thing after another,” said Ron. “His leading was miraculous. Everything fell into place, from retirement, to finding our home, to our motorhome.” Soon, the Gadreaults found themselves on their first Maranatha project at Milo Adventist Academy in Oregon. It was as good as they imagined.

“Everybody cares about each other and cares about the project, and we work together as a family works together. We have worship in the morning and at night like a family does. They have become our family. That is how Maranatha seems to be, a family helping others,” says Ron. The experience confirmed their desire to serve, not only for the way it made them feel, but also for the example it sets for those they love the most.

“We wanted to be able to show our kids how service is so important. And serving Jesus can be done in so many ways, in your work and daily life, but there are so many needs out there, and without volunteers it’s hard to get it done. You don’t have to get paid to be satisfied and happy,” says Ron. As the pair celebrates their one-year anniversary, they have realized that volunteering as a couple provides a relational foundation not easily replicated. By working hard, side by side, with a shared mission to make a difference, they feel a deepening of their young union. It has also allowed them to create a new community of shared friends.

Friends that almost seem like family to this new marital unit.

“Serving on these projects brings us into a closer relationship with Jesus,” said Ron. “The friends you make, the relationships you build, you wouldn’t have had them otherwise . . . We were able to share, sometimes cry together, and it brought us closer together, but also closer to Jesus by hearing what He did in their lives.”

For Ron, the past couple of years have been dramatically transformative, from stinging emotional and physical pain, to the healing of his body and a new relationship. “It brings tears to my eyes thinking about it because God has made me fulfilled. He brought me from a really lonely place, to happiness that is beyond words.

God has brought an incredible lady into my life— after I lost my wife I never thought I’d have [that www.maranatha.org

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companionship] again. The peace He has brought me is beyond words.”

With renewed vigor for life and fulfilling the Gospel call, the Gadreaults are thrilled with this new chapter grounded in service. They are planning a North American road trip for 2022 to hit as many Maranatha projects as possible. You might see them on the road next year, along with their cat, Cougar, who travels on the dash of their motorhome, barreling toward the next Maranatha job site.

“Making plans for projects is so much fun and doing all of these things together—anticipating the joy of serving God together this way, has brought such a fulfillment into our marriage and a growth that often takes years to build,” says Ron. “I just want to share what God has done with others.

Giving our time and efforts is what it’s all about—it is what brings true happiness.”

UNITED IN MISSION:

1 Ron and Julie Gadreault’s new union is centered on service.

The couple served together on their first Maranatha project at Milo Adventist Academy in Oregon.

2 Julie Gadreault’s desire to serve extends back nearly four decades as a Pathfinder leader in her local church.

3 Serving with Maranatha has allowed the new couple to form a community of shared friends that have quickly come to feel like family.

PHOTOS: ED JENSEN

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Mission Calling:

HOW A TV PROGRAM CALLED ONE VOLUNTEER TO SERVE

By Julie Z. Lee

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atalie Young was doing what she usually did on Friday nights: watching 3ABN. She especially enjoyed the programs about missions, where people stepped into the unknown to serve and share the Lord. She found the stories wonderful and inspiring, and she longed to go on a mission trip herself but didn’t know quite where to start. So instead, she kept watching and dreaming of a day when she might join the volunteers on a trip.

However, on that particular Friday night, Young dozed off while watching 3ABN only to be jostled out of sleep by the voice of a woman on the television.

“I started hearing about this lady and she was a single mom. And she was doing mission trips,” remembers Young, who is a primary school teacher in New York.

Young was also a single mom. She also wanted to go on a mission trip.

The similarities of the story were such a coincidence that at first she thought she was dreaming.

But as Young shook off the drowsiness, she realized it was an episode of Maranatha Mission Stories, focused on a woman named Dina Ramirez.

Ramirez had begun taking her son on mission trips with Maranatha from a young age to provide him with opportunities for spiritual growth.

“She began talking about how this Maranatha trip was a blessing to her and her young son. And her son had thanked her for going on all these trips,” says Young. “And I said, ‘That’s what I want to do.’”

Young jumped online to learn all about Maranatha and researched upcoming trips. She decided she’d start small with a project in the United States. But that wasn’t what God had in mind.

“She dozed off while watching 3ABN, only to be jostled out of sleep by a voice.”

“It felt like I heard a voice that said, ‘Go outside.

Go outside the United States,’” says Young. In the past, Young would have brushed the thought aside or first considered what her family would say. They would have probably encouraged her to stay close to home for her first mission trip, especially as she was traveling alone.

But Young was in a different space. Two years ago, after a time apart from God, Young came back to Christ and was rebaptized. Upon her recent return “to the fold,” as she describes it, she made a promise that she would step into missions. And this was when she started watching mission stories on 3ABN and imagining a life of service.

So this time, when she heard the voice, Young listened. “I stopped thinking about what everyone else would say and started thinking about what the Spirit would say,” says Young.

After perusing her options, she registered for a project to Peru in June 2021. Then, she told her family. To her surprise, there were no naysayers.

There was only support. “They were encouraging me. They said, ‘This is a beautiful thing.’”

Soon, Young was off to Peru.

Young’s project was by no means typical for Maranatha. After all, it was the first mission trip in Peru in more than a year. Maranatha’s staff had to adjust to the new COVID-19-related precautions and design the project to be flexible and safe.

Volunteers were scheduled to work on the new La Tinguiña Adventist School in Ica, a town in southern Peru, but they would not interact with the local community nor worship with the local church out of caution, since public meetings were still relatively new in the country. There would be masks, testing, and sanitizing of surfaces.

Second, there were only 11 volunteers in total—a far cry from what is typical on a Maranatha project as teams can draw anywhere from 30 to 100 volunteers. This was a bit of a concern, given

18 | THE VOLUNTEER I S S U E 3, 2021 w w w . m a r a n a t h a . o r g

the fact that the group had been assigned the construction of a large wall of an Education and Evangelism Center. It was unlikely that the small group, made up of new and veteran volunteers, could finish the task.

But despite the irregularities, the volunteers flourished. On the first Sabbath, the group headed over to the local Adventist church to say hello.

While they couldn’t greet each other with hugs, as volunteers usually do, they sat 15 feet from the congregation to introduce themselves and connect with each other on the shared project. The congregation even offered small gifts of walnuts and prunes in appreciation for the volunteers’ work.

“It was the epitome of being welcomed to an Adventist home—warm, kind, and accepting. It was special to me, despite the effects of COVID, that our brethren showed tremendous strength, perseverance, and the will. I was honored to be with them,” says Young.

For Father’s Day, the volunteers assembled care packages of rice and beans and distributed them in an underprivileged neighborhood in Ica. As for the building, the 11-member construction crew surprised everyone by not only completing the assigned wall but by finishing a second.

“I loved the fact that we were few. We were small, but we were mighty! We had the faith of a mustard seed and I knew we could move mountains,” says Young.

The moment of finishing the wall was emotional for Young. “I started tearing up. I was thinking about the kids. Not just the fact that they were going to be in the classroom, but the service we had provided for them, providing for people who needed the help—and we were part of that. We defied expectations amidst the crisis of COVID-19.”

The experience surpassed expectations for Young overall. From meeting new people and hearing their stories to the daily fellowship to praying in gratitude for the opportunity to serve,

1

she was filled over and over again with blessings throughout the project.

“Every day was a different journey.

Just the ability to get up and get out.

Days of meeting new people and learning of their experiences. Talking to people and having quiet fellowship about things that were going on in their personal lives … praying with them,” remembers Young. “Seeing that people are kind. Beautiful. I know the Holy Spirit brought me here—I felt that every day.”

One of the things she’s learned from the trip is the importance of talking to people, even when you might not feel 2 like it. While in Peru, she remembers fellow volunteers encouraging each other on the worksite or in private conversations, and the positive impact it had on the person. “What you say to someone will push them, and the Spirit will tell you what to say.”

After all, it was another woman’s words of encouragement that got Young on this mission trip. “When I was watching Dina’s story, when she was talking about doing her own thing, it was like me. I was leaving the church. I thought I was by myself. But in those moments, God was there. God was with me as a single mom,” says Young. “She’s ABOUT LA TINGUIÑA ADVENTIST SCHOOL the reason that I was on the trip!”

The La Tinguiña Seventh-day Adventist congregation started meeting in And now that she’s this location in 1975. Since that day, they have prayed tirelessly for a place home, she’s ready to where their children can go to school and learn Adventist Christian values. go back.

They have struggled to raise the money to build a school, and they have “If He is calling us to suffered many disappointments over the years. In 2019, Maranatha agreed be of service, I will go to build them them classrooms! In October 2019, they tore down their that way. I will walk that existing church to make room for the new school. Construction on the campus started in 2020 and was halted for over a year due to COVID-19. narrow way.”

TEAM PERU:

1 A group shot of the first volunteers back in Peru after more than a year of COVID-related shutdowns.

2 Natalie Young takes a break from laying block to pose for the camera. This was her very first mission project--but it hopefully won’t be her last!

PHOTOS: PROVIDED BY ELMER BARBOSA

Volunteers started working on the project once more in 2021.

www.maranatha.org

T H E V O L U N T E E R ISSUE 3, 2021 | 1 9

Making a Splash!

Photo by Ron Kedas

T

he students at Kimogoro Adventist Boarding Primary School, in Kenya, celebrate the dedication of their new well. The school is located on top of a ridge, where there was limited access to water. Students had to walk down a steep canyon to get water from a seasonal stream and carry it back up the hill. The daily route took 1.5 miles, stealing time from their studies. Church officials requested Maranatha’s help, and not too long after, our crews arrived to drill a new well at the school. When word of the well spread throughout the area, student applications dramatically increased. The school was able to accept 30 new students, with more on a waiting list. More children will now hear the Gospel message at Kimogoro, another example of the far-reaching effects of clean water.

HOW YOU’VE

Helped

A look at how your support is making a real difference for communities around the world.

INYAMBO, ZAMBIA

BEFORE Members of the Inyambo Seventh-day Adventist Church worshipped in this makeshift structure of sticks and rocks.

BUILDING YOUR

AFTER A new One-Day Church from Maranatha has provided the congregation with a sturdy frame and roof, where they can worship protected from the elements.

Legacy

When you think of hairless, Sphynx cats, you probably don’t think of Maranatha. But these special felines have a unique connection to Maranatha though the family-run adult care home of Lynell and Jonathan Arroyo.

In 2003, Lynell was left paralyzed after an accident. After struggling with brain surgeries and convulsions, her son suggested that she find comfort through a Sphynx cat. He had one himself and thought it would help her navigate her new reality. She fell in love and eventually began breeding them.

After birth, the kittens stay at the care home for up to three months, allowing the residents to enjoy their lively spirits. They are held by everyone, litter-trained, given vaccines, and then sold to new homes. Sphynx cats are in high demand—Lynell has a waiting list of 50 buyers for future litters, so each kitten goes for a considerable sum. Whatever profits Lynell sees are donated to Maranatha.

“Money comes and goes. You don’t always pay attention to it. But when you create a mission project, and see the pictures and stories that are the product of something we were able to help with, it’s so amazing how good it feels.”

PROJECTS THAT NEED YOUR HELP

This year, Maranatha is working in 10 countries to provide churches, schools, and water wells to communities in need. Here are a few programs that urgently need your prayers and financial support.

ZAMBIA ONE-DAY CHURCHES

Countries

I N 202 1

Here’s where Maranatha is working this year.

BOLIVIA BRAZIL CANADA CÔTE D’IVOIRE

Maranatha’s goal is to build 80 One-Day Churches in Zambia in 2021. There is a great need for more churches in this country, as the Seventh-day Adventist membership continues to grow. But we cannot fulfill this request without your help. You can sponsor a share of a One-Day Church for $1,500 or an entire church for $7,500. Or make a donation of any size for the project.

CUBA

CÔTE D’IVOIRE CHURCHES

PERU

Seventh-day Adventist leadership in Côte d’Ivoire has requested assistance in building churches in an effort to strengthen infrastructure for the growing Adventist membership. Maranatha agreed to provide 20 One‑Day Churches this year. This project is in urgent need of funding. You can sponsor a share of a One-Day Church for $1,500 or an entire church for $7,500. Or make a donation of any size for the project.

WATER WELLS

In 2021, Maranatha will continue drilling water wells in Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, India, Kenya, and Zambia. The goal is to drill 510 water wells this year! Please help us to reach this goal and keep the momentum going for clean water. Make a donation. Or sponsor a well, at $10,000 for Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, India, and Zambia and $30,000 for Kenya.

INDIA KENYA

UNITED STATES ZAMBIA

CHURCHES SCHOOLS WATER WELLS CAMPS

www.maranatha.org

Non-Profit U.S. Postage

PAID

Roseville, CA Permit No. 111

990 Reserve Drive, Suite 100 Roseville, CA 95678

A new online giving program for water

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.

Wellspring is Maranatha’s new, online giving program.

We’re asking you to partner with us by making a monthly donation, of any amount, for water. The monthly funds will support the drilling of new wells and the maintenance of existing ones.

Whether you give $5, $50, or $500, every dollar will go toward solving the crisis for water.

You can start helping TODAY at maranatha.org/joinwellspring

Hope Channel Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.

Friday, 8:30 a.m.

Sunday, 8:30 p.m.

ON DEMAND

The Maranatha Channel App Download our app at the App Store and Google Play. watch.maranatha.org View all episodes online at Maranatha’s video website. Find segments by using our “Search” function.

Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV Download The Maranatha Channel to watch all current and archived episodes and other videos on demand.

YouTube Go to www.youtube.com/missionstories to watch. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and automatically receive updates.