Twice each year, Maranatha Volunteers International offers international service opportunities designed specifically for families. The latest project of this kind recently wrapped up in Pucallpa, Peru. The trip’s 125 volunteers spent ten days constructing a Seventh-day Adventist church building and Sabbath school classroom. They also painted two other Adventist churches, led two Vacation Bible School programs, and treated 1,931 patients at medical clinics in four different locations. “It’s just like a dream come true,” said one volunteer, Alyson Pratt, of the project. “It’s just, it’s so wonderful. I mean, I wish I had more to give. But to give my time this way. To be tired at the end of the day. And it’s not from serving myself or from serving someone who just kind of takes it for granted that this is available to them … There’s nothing like this.”
One way Family Project caters to a diverse age-range is through a special day camp for kids 12 and under. “You can’t work eight days on one project if you’re a kid,” explained project coordinator Steve Case, who helped to develop the concept of Maranatha’s Family Project. “So we created the day camp idea where you get one- or two-hour blocks of work, play, some kind of cultural experience, and some kind of service activity. And that has made the difference for families to be able to come.” On this trip, day camp kids spent some time working alongside the adults on the church sites. But they also learned how to cook, visited a produce market, and got to ride in a plane at Peru Projects, a nearby Adventist mission organization.
Family members bonded with each other while working to make a positive difference. But they also made new friends with volunteers they had never met before. Sixteen-year-old Catherine Adap, who has served on two Family Projects with her immediate and extended family, believes it creates a special environment that kick-starts this type of connection. “With all the volunteers, it’s incredible. I feel so comfortable just walking up to them and being like, ‘Hey, how was work? How was your day? What did you do? What’s the craziest story you have from today?’ … It’s so fun.”
Catherine feels the experience has helped her to be more outgoing and open to new people and perspectives. Her mother, Chris Guarin-Adap, feels it’s done more than that. She’s seen the trips make a spiritual impact on the entire family. “I have noticed a difference. And the reason why mission trips are so important to us is my husband and I would like to raise our children to have the heart of Christ and to have the character of Christ. And we firmly believe that a life of selfless service and mission gives us a better glimpse into what Christ is like, because he himself embodied a life of selfless service. And so when we go on missions, we find that it focuses us back to what is important. It focuses our family back on what’s important.”
Years ago, Maranatha leadership examined the demographics of volunteer groups and noticed a large hole. Teenagers served on Ultimate Workout, an annual trip catered to them. And many retired volunteers filled project rosters year-round. But the number of younger adults, who might have families, dwindled. The first Family Project took place in 1998 and was an instant hit. Since then, the project has continued to gain popularity as an opportunity for families to develop faith and community through the act of construction.