Churches, Schools, and Water Wells Keep Popping Up in India

Maranatha Volunteers International’s in-country crew in India continues to make progress across the country, constructing churches and schools and drilling water wells. Out of the 30 planned churches to be constructed in the country during 2022, 25 are complete and four are in progress. For three larger congregations in the state of Manipur, Maranatha is using a new, wider design to accommodate more members.

Teams of workers are active on three school campuses, finishing up large multi-classroom buildings at the Lasalgaon and Raymond Memorial schools. At the Pola Adventist School, crews have already put in boys’ and girls’ dorms.

Crews at Pola have now turned their attention to a three-classroom block and a perimeter wall. In October, the first Maranatha volunteer group is expected to arrive in India since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and will help to construct a cafeteria.

Ezras Lakra, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Southern Asia Division (SUD), recently participated in a dedication ceremony for the girls’ dorm at the Pola school, and he remarked how beautifully the campus was coming along. “Maranatha has set a benchmark for us in how to work for the Lord,” Lakra said. “We need to proceed in the same way in India.”

Maranatha is also drilling water wells in multiple states across India, including the mountainous state of Manipur, where a pipeline solution has been used recently in places where drilling is not possible. In 2022, Maranatha has provided clean, accessible water for 203 communities. Crews are also doing maintenance on existing wells in need of repairs.

The organization has had a continuous presence in India since 1998, establishing an office while building places of worship and education throughout the country. In 2019, Maranatha started drilling water wells in areas in need of clean water. Maranatha has constructed more than 2,400 structures in India.

About Maranatha Volunteers International

Maranatha Volunteers International is a responsive organization that for 53 years has fulfilled requests for construction assistance for the Adventist Church. Each project is carefully considered for need, overall impact on the community, and resources for long-term maintenance and support.

Currently, Maranatha is working in roughly a dozen countries around the world. Efforts are focused on church and school construction and water wells. A portion of the projects are completed by volunteers participating in short-term mission trips organized by Maranatha.

The original version of this story was posted by Maranatha Volunteers International. Last updated Sept. 12, 2022.