In the educational world, spring break is a time for teachers and students to slow down and take a breather. In the Maranatha Volunteers International world, spring break means it’s time to get busy. From February 19 to April 14, 514 international volunteers did just that on Maranatha projects in the Dominican Republic, Peru, Paraguay, Kenya, and India. Twelve groups constructed new church buildings for congregations in need, and three groups built vital infrastructure at school campuses. On each worksite, Maranatha’s in-country construction crews guided volunteers through the block-laying process and are now adding finishes, like stucco and sidewalks, to each structure.
“The spring is always a popular time for groups to plan a trip with Maranatha because of that common week-long break from school,” explained Maranatha’s Vice President of Volunteer Services Lisandro Staut. “Although the work may be strenuous, these trips are an important break from everyday life. They let volunteers step into a new place and move their focus from self to others.”
Ten of the projects that took place this spring were what Maranatha calls “Group Projects.” These teams included volunteers from the same church, school, or friend group, who relied on Maranatha’s expertise and a vast network of field staff to organize their trip. “There have been so many positive experiences on this trip,” said volunteer Delores Mishleau on the Piedmont Park Seventh-day Adventist Church team from Nebraska. “One of them has certainly been working with our fellow church members and deepening our relationships with them.”
The remaining five trips were what Maranatha calls “Open Team Projects.” They were open for anyone to join and brought volunteers together from all over the world. “I love conversations with people, so to get to know people has been very meaningful to me,” said John Hakizimana of his time on Multiple Group Project, Maranatha’s trip for small groups.
Spring break with Maranatha certainly involved hard work, but volunteers found refreshment in other ways. “All those things that take up so much time and so much energy were kind of pushed aside,” explained Piedmont Park pastor and volunteer Michael Halfhill. “I had more time for thinking, more time for reflection, for reading, and just doing ministry every day.”
“I have felt closer to God by just the experience of our worships,” said volunteer Taylar Peterson of her time on the Amazing Grace Academy team from Alaska. “We just have great worships and music on these projects and it always helps revamp my love for God and my love for sharing and showing God through everyday actions.”
Maranatha is a supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that mobilizes volunteers to build churches, schools, water wells, and other urgently needed structures around the world, including North America. Since 1969, Maranatha has constructed more than 16,000 structures and more than 3,500 water wells in nearly 90 countries.