Supporting Ministry Maranatha Launches Building Projects in Paraguay

On November 26, a 22-member team from Seventh-day Adventist supporting ministry Maranatha Volunteers International completed their first Maranatha volunteer project in Paraguay.

Maranatha had 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 has now around 15,000 members but will struggle to grow further without reliable places of worship, regional church leaders said. Maranatha has now returned to this South American country in 2024 to meet the need.

For the Itá Seventh-day Adventist Church, November marked an exciting beginning. Volunteers on the project laid block walls for the congregation’s brand-new church building. Since the church’s start in 2019, they had been kicked out of the home they worshipped in, met under a tree, and almost shut down completely because they couldn’t afford a steady place of worship.

“But now they have a new church building that can fit more than 100 people,” said Maranatha’s country director for Paraguay Elmer Barbosa. Evangelism is a big part of the Itá church’s culture, so members are especially grateful to have a church building with enough space to grow.

Two volunteers on this project were from Peru, and everyone else came from across the United States. In addition to construction work, the team of travelers led a Vacation Bible School (VBS) program for neighborhood children. They wanted to introduce young hearts to the love of Jesus, they said. And even when attendance was low at the first meeting, volunteers were not deterred. They organized a bus to drive throughout the small town, bringing loads of children and parents to each meeting.

VBS programs were especially important to one volunteer, who had debated joining the trip at all. Being more than 60 years old and unable to lay blocks, she wondered how she could help — until learning about the potential for a VBS program. “She felt she needed to do this and decided to register and come,” Barbosa said. “She found great satisfaction leading VBS. And at the end, she said that she was really glad she made the decision to come. This was a special thing for her.”

The group bonded over their shared desire to lend a helping hand. “They finished the walls of the church, did VBS, and showed the people of Paraguay that we are a big family of Christ that really cares about each other,” Barbosa added. He also described the volunteers’ dynamic with each other. “With groups like this, it’s easy to become like a little family. Strong connections and friendships were made.”

The original version of this story was posted by Maranatha Volunteers International. Maranatha is a nonprofit supporting ministry and is not operated by the corporate Seventh-day Adventist Church.