Maranatha Volunteers International recently completed its second project in the town of Paradise, California. The 2018 Camp Fire devastated this community and now, many residents are living out of RVs with no place to store their belongings. In 2019, Maranatha built 202 storage sheds for Paradise, and this September followed it up with another 118.
Besides the extra hurdle of COVID-19 safety measures, the 185 volunteers on this project faced extraordinary challenges, like extreme heat, nearby wildfire evacuations, and hazardous air quality due to smoke. Two small fires even broke out while volunteers were delivering sheds. Volunteers struggled to stamp them out and thankfully the fire department quickly arrived to extinguish them. Because of the smoke and fires, the project was suspended for two days, but volunteers worked hard when they could to finish these urgently-need structures.
Maranatha’s Medical Services Coordinator and veteran project leader, Susan Woods, the co-leader for this project, recognized how unique an experience it was. ‘This Paradise project was unlike any other project we’ve been a part of. New, fairly large challenges popped up quite frequently, but the volunteers and our hosts were resilient. I witnessed firsthand that our God is able to carry us through!’
With many Paradise residents still in need, a third shed project is set for October 26-November 11, 2020 to meet the high demand. Click here to register for this project.
Read an article about our first shed project in Paradise in 2019.
Watch a Maranatha Mission Stories television episode on our first shed project in Paradise.
Each year, Maranatha works with organizations in the United States and Canada to provide volunteer labor for various construction or renovation projects at summer camps and retreat centers, schools, and churches. Work ranges from renovations of existing buildings to new construction, and saves thousands of dollars in labor costs.