In February, a Maranatha Volunteers International team of 19 individuals from across the United States gathered in Paraguay with a mission to lay the block walls of a church. This group replaced the Nueva Italia Seventh-day Adventist congregation’s small carport with something larger and more permanent. “When we arrived in Paraguay it was 105 degrees! For me this was 100 degrees hotter than when I left Michigan,” recalled the project’s coordinator, Judy Shull. “We were able to accomplish much of the work because we had a dedicated team who were there to build … Everyone worked hard and did all they could to complete the project, even when they were hot and exhausted.”
Beyond construction, three volunteers also led Vacation Bible School programs for 20 neighborhood children. This initiative was designed for kids to have fun while learning more about Jesus–a short-term addition to Nueva Italia’s ongoing children’s ministry efforts. “The [Adventist] ministry in this little town is led by a family who moved there from the capital city to be missionaries in that area,” explained Shull. “The mother leads an Adventurer program with the neighborhood children. The 18-year-old daughter leads a Pathfinder club. They have ten children who attend church and are members in one of the clubs, but most are not from [Adventist] homes.”
While the group’s primary objective was growing Nueva Italia’s worship space, they had the privilege of watching the church’s membership grow as well. On the last Sabbath of the trip, volunteers worshipped with Nueva Italia members inside their new church building, and the program included the baptisms of two local children. “This was a very special experience,” said Shull. “One of the things that always impresses me … is watching how the local members are reaching out to their community for Jesus. As a team we talk about what we are seeing done locally and how we might take their methods back to our own church in the U.S.A. to help grow our ministry at home.”
This project was what Maranatha calls an “open team,” meaning it was open for anyone to join. “Leading an open team is fun because we get to make new friends,” remarked Shull. “The sights and sounds are vastly different from our usual life, but sharing all these experiences brings the team rapidly together.”
“None of us forget the projects we have worked on in the past and we pray for those people who have touched our lives, both in a far away country or on our building team.”
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 to roughly 15,000 members. In response to this growth, Maranatha returned again in 2024, and crews recently began work on the twenty-fifth and final church structure of this current effort.