THE
WINTER 2017
A Publication of Maranatha Volunteers International
Building Up Guyana
Why they need churches and how you can help. I N S I D E TH I S I S S U E :
G U YA N A P4
C H R I S T M A S FA M I LY P R OJ E C T P 8
VO LU N T E E R O P P O R T U N I T I E S P 1 4
Kiirua, Kenya Volunteers stand in the newly constructed girls’ dormitory at Kiirua Seventh-day Adventist School in central Kenya. Volunteers constructed the building as part of the Kenya Open Team II project last September; they also refurbished the bunk beds and provided funds to purchase new bedding, towels, mattresses, and pillows. The old building was crumbling after decades of use and offered little protection from the wet, chilly weather of the region. Kiirua School is a primary and secondary boarding school with more than 130 students; sixty-one girls live in the dorms.
Photo by Christina Lloyd
SHARING THE MISSION
The Rock
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f you were to walk into the maranatha
boardroom in our Roseville, California, office, you would see a very large, 2,500-pound, very prominent rock in the front left corner of the room. It is highly unlikely that this type of feature is on display in many boardrooms, but this rock is extremely significant for us at Maranatha. The bronze plaque attached to the front of the large rock is inscribed with the following words from Scripture: “The Lord has helped us every step of the way.” 1 Samuel 7:12. This memorial rock reminds us every day that God has always been with us and that we can fully trust His leading in the future. In 2016, God gave us the privilege of partnering with many of you to impact thousands of people for His kingdom in a wide variety of ways. Churches were built, schools were erected, wells were drilled, volunteers experienced mission, and many prayers were answered. God was certainly with us every step of the way. As we make plans for 2017, once again our board and staff look for guidance from the Rock. We never know exactly how God will lead, but we are making plans believing that He will direct us. Initial plans for the year call for involvement in at least 16 countries, with a few more possibilities. We will also launch a new well-drilling rig in Africa to help alleviate the terrible need for water in many areas. For those of you who may be interested in participating in areas of the world where Maranatha has not worked up to this time, we will have several options available this year. We are starting a new effort in Guyana, where we’ll be building 10 churches and a school. We are planning a school project at Nile Union Academy near Cairo, Egypt. Later in the year we expect to begin providing mission options in the beautiful country of Bolivia. Perhaps the most exotic option will be a school and church initiative in the smallest country in Africa: São Tomé and Príncipe. This country was a Portuguese colony and is off the west coast of Africa. The people there are eager for the Gospel, and we are pleased to be able to respond positively to their appeal for assistance.
We are excited about the opportunities God has placed before us as we begin 2017. We hope you will join us as a prayer partner, a project volunteer, or a financial supporter. One thing we know for certain: God will be with us every step of the way. Maranatha—come soon Lord Jesus! N
Don Noble, president
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Photo by Kyle Fiess
he delivery of the seventh-day adventist message to guyana is an unusual and miraculous story. Unlike many places, where Adventism arrived by way of a missionary, in Guyana, the Adventist message was delivered by a sea captain. The captain, presumably not an Adventist, was planning a trip from New York City to Guyana, when W.J. Boynton, who worked for the International Tract and Missionary Society, asked him to deliver a parcel of Adventist publications. The captain begrudgingly agreed to the task. Weeks later, when the captain arrived in Georgetown, he anchored his ship, stepped onto the pier, and dumped the parcel on the wharf. He exclaimed, “I have fulfilled my promise!” The Adventist message was now littered all over the pier and might have dissolved into obscurity was it not for a bystander who noticed the papers. Curious, he gathered a few stacks and went home. Days later, the man fell ill. As he lay recuperating in bed, he received a knock at the door. It was a neighbor; she was worried about the man’s absence around town and wanted to check on him. During her visit, she noticed the papers on the man’s table and asked if she could take a few with her. When she got home, she read through the literature and became convinced of the Sabbath truth. She began observing the Sabbath and soon recruited her sister to join. In time, they formed a small group and notified the International Tract and Missionary Society of the growing interest in Adventism in Guyana. In 1886, missionary and colporteur G.G. Rupert was sent to the country with boxes of books and periodicals, eventually baptizing 30 people and establishing the first Seventh-day Adventist Church in Guyana. LIVING THE GOSPEL COMMISSION
Today, more than 130 years since the Adventist message made landfall—quite literally—onto Guyanese soil, there are 161 churches, 12 companies, 43 groups, and 59,946 members. It is the fastest growing membership in the Caribbean region of the Adventist Church.
The growth, no doubt, is connected to the spirit of missions in Guyana. Members are dedicated to leading worship, organizing outreach, and sharing Christ with their neighbors. Members like Wilhelm Sauer. When Sauer was a teenager, a friend invited him to a Wednesday night prayer meeting at an Adventist church. Intrigued by the message, Sauer went back for Sabbath worship. And then to another meeting, and another. It was a decision that angered his parents. “I went back to the church one Sabbath, and when I came home, my mother took a tin that used to hold 5 pounds of margarine and hit me in the chin. I had 14 stitches,” says Sauer. “But it didn’t stop me.” Sauer was eventually baptized at the age of 18. Now, in his fifties, there’s still no stopping him from going to church. These days, he’s leading church and starting new ones. He’s helped to plant several congregations, and currently he’s the head elder of Swan Adventist Church, located in a village outside of Georgetown. It is an active congregation with 70 people. They used to meet under a tarp at a member’s home, but a year ago, Sauer built a makeshift church. He went into the forest, chopped the wood, and hauled it back to the sandy lot to build a wooden frame with partial walls. He draped a large piece of used canvas over the top for a roof to provide protection from the sun and rain. But after a year, the tarp is disintegrating. Pinholes of light peek through the roof, and rain—it rains a lot in Guyana—drips into the church, pushing people into the driest corners of the building. Sometimes people don’t come at all if the weather is too bad. It’s discouraging but typical. Most of the churches that Sauer helped to start have the same issue: the lack of a proper worship space. In fact, it’s a problem all over Guyana. The Adventist Church is rapidly growing, but there aren’t enough places of worship.
Photo by Leonel Macias
Photo by Kyle Fiess
“What is interesting is that while we have a lot of churches, our church buildings—some of them—are not so nicely organized,” says Richard James, president of the Adventist Church in Guyana. “I think the challenge here is that the Guyana dollar value is not very strong. In some areas of the country, the membership is not so strong financially. So they struggle to complete the construction of buildings.” THE PROBLEM OF SPACE
Dwayne Daniels is beginning his second year as district pastor for Upper East Coast Demerara. He says the lack of proper churches is a significant issue in his region. “Out of the seven churches that I have, two have a good structure. Some don’t even have a church,” he says. Daniels tells the story about inviting 6 | THE VOLUNTE E R W I NTER 2017
TARP CHURCHES: Wilhelm Sauers (above) is the head elder of the Swan Adventist Church, and he built the current worship structure himself. But a year later, the canvas roof has leaks, and the congregation needs a permanent space. (Left) Many groups meet under canopies; about 25% of the congregations in Guyana don’t have a proper church.
a friend to worship. Unfortunately, it was at one of the older church buildings in his region. “I pointed her to where the church is, and she was like, ‘That church?’ So it was really repulsive to her. She said, ‘I’m not going to be coming there any time soon.’” says Daniels. “Since I came to the district, the main problem is not having good accommodations. The ability to witness effectively is compromised.” Even successful evangelism meetings have a bittersweet conclusion when the new believers discover there is no place for them to worship. “In 2015, we had a massive crusade, an evangelistic campaign. Over 600 persons were baptized. But there was a challenge in securing a place for them to worship,” says Daniels. In Guyana, a significant portion of the population is east Indian Hindus
and Muslims. The Adventists have tried reaching out to them, but the lack of a proper church has been detrimental to their efforts. Says James, “You invite people to leave a beautiful mosque or temple, and you bring them to a community service center—it’s not in keeping with [how they think] about God. The place you worship must be unique, special, and nicely prepared.” The Adventist Church in Guyana has a system to support church building initiatives. It is a plan that allocates a portion of the offerings to local church development. But James says it’s not adequate. “We cannot depend on local conference development funds for the church construction initiative. The rate that the church is growing is faster than what the funding can support.” In the meantime, several congregations are meeting in tents, outdoor patios, or in houses. CALLING MARANATHA
The Adventist Church in Guyana has been well aware of Maranatha Volunteers International. After all, Maranatha has worked extensively in the Caribbean and South America to provide churches and schools. So leadership did their best to connect and present the need in Guyana to Maranatha whenever possible—at conventions, conferences, and other meetings. Finally, after several years of conversation, Maranatha arrived in Guyana in September 2016 to examine the need and sketch out a plan. Six months from that meeting, a group of Maranatha volunteers are scheduled to work on the very first Maranatha project in Guyana, with six more groups scheduled to follow throughout the year. The project scope in 2017 is to build 10 churches and one school. All the projects will be in and around Georgetown. “We believe that with Maranatha coming to Guyana, it’s a welcome plan, a welcome idea,” says James. “We think it will do great good for the advancement
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of the work.” For Sauers, the volunteers can’t come soon enough. He believes that a new church will open the doors for a great change in the Swan community. People who have been curious about the Gospel, but reluctant to worship under a tarp, will finally be comfortable enough to visit the church. “[People] are showing interest in learning about the Gospel, and their lives need to be transformed. And I believe having a church in this community will empower people to live better lives, and they can get to know more about Jesus,” says Sauers. James also feels that the experience of serving in Guyana will be positive for the volunteers. “I want to invite you to come to Guyana so you can be part of the story, as
God continues to write the Guyana script of Adventism. Guyana is a lovely country. It is a beautiful country. Many young people are on fire for the Lord, and the people love God. They are committed to this work, and your experience in Guyana will be a life-transforming one.” • Photo by Kyle Fiess
DISCOVER MORE Go beyond the story at www.maranatha.org • Volunteer in Guyana on the Family Project, June 14-25. • Watch a short video introducing Guyana at www.maranatha.org/ buildinginguyana
REQUESTING HELP: Maranatha meets with the Adventist Church leaders in Guyana to discuss the need for churches and schools. For now, Maranatha has committed to building ten church frames with concrete floors and one in the greater Georgetown area.
GUYANA SCHOOL PROJECT Maranatha will be building a new school in Georgetown. It will be the only school run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Guyana, and the first since all private schools were taken over by the government more than 40 years ago. Volunteers will begin construction on the new school in February 2017; funding is still needed.
Photo by Kyle Fiess
Photo by Kyle Fiess
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
Photo by Kyle Fiess
BITTERSWEET EVANGELISM: Pastor Dwayne Daniels stands in front of the old Mahaica Adventist Church, one of seven churches that he oversees. He says people may be interested in the Adventist message, but when they see the poor structures, they are reluctant to come to church.
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The Guyana project is a new effort for Maranatha in 2017, and all the projects need funding. We will be building 10 churches and 1 school in and around Georgetown. If you are interested in helping Guyana, make a gift using the envelope enclosed, call (916) 774-7700, or go online to maranatha.org/donate
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Families Serve in Dominican Republic for Christmas By Julie Z. Lee
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he place was set for a
traditional Christmas. There were presents, a special meal, and a towering tree with presents underneath. But for those attending the event, there wasn’t anything traditional about it. This was the scene for Maranatha Volunteers International’s Christmas Family Project, an annual mission trip designed to offer families a holiday spent in service. This year, the program drew 72 volunteers to the Dominican Republic. Participants came from the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Bermuda and ranged in age from 5 to 75. During the 10-day trip, volunteers completed several tasks in a community located 40-minutes north of Santo Domingo. One of the projects included the construction of the Portadores de Luz Seventh-day Adventist Church. The 40-member congregation had been meeting for nearly 20 years without a proper place of worship. Most recently, they were meeting in a shed, pieced together with sheets of scrap metal. Their new church has a galvanized steel frame and block walls, and it can seat more than 100 people. The project has been uplifting for the Portadores de Luz congregation; their old structure attracted ridicule and derision from the community, making it difficult to draw visitors to worship. All this is about to change.
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Photo by Larry Fox
EXTENDED FAMILY: Seventy-two volunteers, ranging in age from 5 to 75, gather for a group photo in the Dominican Republic. Everyone was part of the 2016 Christmas Family Project, an annual mission trip that takes place over the holidays.
“We can now invite even wealthy people because they have a comfortable place to sit—a decent building to worship God,” says Zacarías Franco, head elder of Portadores de Luz. Though the building still needs to be painted to be completely finished, the congregation has been worshipping in the spacious sanctuary for a couple months. “We are now even more motivated because we can show the community that our God is real and willing to not only save but meet all our needs!” Volunteers also re-painted the La Colina Adventist Church, a building that Maranatha constructed in 2002; ran a children’s ministries program with
members of Portadores de Luz; and organized a medical clinic, which saw hundreds of patients. The volunteer team included many young participants. Those under the age of 13 were invited to a Day Camp, organized by Maranatha volunteers. The program allowed children to work a few hours in the morning at various worksites, then transition to outreach or cultural activities in the afternoon. Kids had the opportunity to lay block, paint a church and neighborhood homes, assemble and distribute food packages, and learn how to make Dominican food. On Christmas morning, the volunteers welcomed a group of orphans from a Santo Domingo children’s home w w w.maranatha.org
CHRISTMAS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:
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1 The Serna family pause for a photo during their rotation on the construction site, where everyone learned to lay block. 2 The volunteer-made Christmas tree stands tall over the gifts for 17 orphans, who came to visit the volunteers for a special celebration. The gifts were donated by volunteers and assembled into backpacks, which were filled with toys, clothing, toiletries, and school supplies. 3 Scattered tropical showers can’t stop the volunteers from a day of work. 4 Weston Arms helps prep for the retaining wall on the site of the Portadores de Luz Adventist Church. Weston, who worked with his dad and other adults, was one of the younger members of the construction team. 5 Children from the neighborhood surrounding the Portadores de Luz Church make crafts during Vacation Bible School. Volunteers, along with local church members, organized programs each afternoon.
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for a special celebration. The adults organized games, and the children presented the story of Jesus’ birth in Spanish, complete with costumes and music. The day ended with a special dinner along with gifts and school supplies for each of the orphans. For the Ratteray family, from Bermuda, the interaction with the orphans was especially meaningful. Loida and her husband decided to go on the mission trip to offer an alternative Christmas experience for their two daughters, ages 8 and 12. “I noticed that the holidays were becoming very materialistic and expensive. I realized that we were losing the real meaning of Christmas. When I found out that there was a family mission project during Christmas, I was impressed by the Holy Spirit that this was what God wanted us to do this year,” says Ratteray. But giving up Christmas wasn’t easy. The Ratterays were used to big gatherings with extended family and plenty of gifts, games, parties, and food. “When we announced to the family that we would not the be participating in all the festivities, they were shocked,” says Ratteray. She also told her daughters that there would be no presents. Instead, the girls would be taking gifts for the orphans. It was a dramatic shift in tradition, and the girls had a hard time with it. But all that changed on the mission trip. “After interacting with the local kids and seeing how some of them live, the girls became more giving and appreciative of what they have,” says Ratteray. “Especially my youngest Daniela. She came back wanting to break her piggy bank to buy things for the kids we visited in the Dominican Republic. She even encouraged her sister to give her birthday money. Their perspective has changed for sure!” For Bobby Peña, from California, experiencing a service-focused holiday was only one benefit of participating on 1 0 | THE VOLUNTE E R W I NTER 2017
the Christmas Family Project. He, his wife, and two teenage sons decided to go on the mission trip to spend quality time together before their oldest boy goes to college. “We are a very busy family, crazy schedules, working, volunteering, church and school life—all good things, but we wanted a chance to disconnect a bit and focus on service,” says Peña. In the Dominican Republic, the Peñas worked as a team, implementing the Children’s Day Camp program and leading out in worship. For ten days, the family slept, ate, worked, and worshipped together with rarely a moment apart. The result? “I’ve realized that when our family is asked about our trip, the response usually includes the word – amazing,” says Peña. “This trip helped us to reconnect as a family, with each other, and with our God. It also gave us the added benefit of making new friends. Getting out of our comfort zone, listening to stories from volunteers and
locals had a tremendous impact on us. And I’d like to say we see people in a new light—the value that every person brings to service, how we can help each other, and the work the Lord has for each of us.” “It was truly an amazing experience for our family and the best thing we’ve done in some time.” • DISCOVER MORE Go beyond the story at www.maranatha.org • See more photos from this mission trip by going to Maranatha’s Facebook page at maranatha.org/facebook • Watch a young volunteer give a testimony about Family Projects at the 2016 convention at www.maranatha.org/anella
MAKESHIFT PHARMACY: Nurses Michael Mirasol and Cheryl Knapp take charge of the medical outreach pharmacy. The medical outreach team kept busy as crowds of people stood in line for a check-up.
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CHRISTMAS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:
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1 Diego Mariano and Allison Shim give the La Colina Church a fresh coat of paint. La Colina was constructed by Maranatha in 2002. 2 The newly painted La Colina Church shines bright on Sabbath morning. 3 The Portadores de Luz Church (pictured here in January, after stucco) is the nicest building in the neighborhood, and the members are eager to invite people to worship in their new space. 4 The old Portadores de Luz Church, before Maranatha replaced it with the new building. 5 The younger volunteers take a break from work to get a lesson in Dominican cooking from Margarita, the local and project cook.
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Oregon, USA The walls go up on a new cabin at Big Lake Youth Camp, a summer camp and retreat center in central Oregon. Nearly 50 volunteers participated in the project, which involved cabin construction and renovation, landscaping, and general property improvements. Last year, Maranatha coordinated two projects at Big Lake. Camp directors estimate volunteers provided nearly 5,000 hours of work, contributing to Big Lake receiving the 2016 Norm Middag Award for Excellence.
Photo by David Woods
NEWS
Remote Kenyan Tribe Receives Churches
for the Adventist Church, and they have asked Maranatha to build a total of 15-20 churches in the area. There is also an urgent need for clean water, and Maranatha will be examining the possibility of providing wells in Ileret.
New Classrooms in Bhalki, India It’s school as usual at the Bhalki Seventh-day Adventist School, in India, but with one significant change: new classrooms. In January 2017, Maranatha presented 12 classrooms to administrators at the school. Volunteers completed primary construction on the buildings in November 2016, and local Maranatha crews have been finishing up the final details. Following the hand-off, students and teachers immediately moved into the classrooms. The new structures replaced old buildings that were falling apart, due to regular wear and tear. The Bhalki school was established in 1983 with just 20 kindergarten students. Today, the school has more than 800 students enrolled, and the campus has been unable to properly accommodate them. Each classroom packed in 60 students, and those on the waiting list were denied, due to lack of space and deteriorating facilities. The classrooms have been a blessing for Bhalki and not only provides a much-improved learning space, it also creates opportunities for new students to receive a Christian education. Bhalki is a town in the Bidar district of Karnataka, a state located in the southwestern part of India.
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In October 2016, the Seventh‑day Adventist Church in Kenya embarked on a campaign to reach the Dasaanach tribe in northern Kenya. The Dasaanach people are a semi-nomadic group who dwell in parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sudan. In Kenya, a contingent of Dasaanach live in the remote village of Illeret, located on the eastern shore of Lake Turkana and near the Ethiopian border. After weeks of evangelism meetings, Bible studies, and baptismal classes, the Adventist Church baptized 765 people of the Dasaanach tribe and established four new congregations. Four missionaries will stay in the Illeret area to continue nurturing the new groups, and each congregation now has a One-Day Church, constructed by Maranatha. “The presence of Maranatha has made a great impact in our mission. Earlier, it used to be a shame because people would hear the message, identify with us. But then there was a disconnect as there was no church for the new members,” said John Kiragu Ngunyi, president of the Adventist Church in Central Kenya. “The problem of retention and nurturing has been solved by your ministry through buildings.” This is a new region for outreach
PLANNED GIVING Did You Know …
You can donate your low interest rate CD to Maranatha and receive a higher rate of return for life, while receiving a charitable deduction. You can donate your home to Maranatha, take a charitable deduction, and live in it for the rest of your life. You can donate stocks and other securities to Maranatha, not pay tax on the capital gains, take a charitable deduction and receive more income for life than you currently receive in dividends. You can easily make a donation to Maranatha from your estate by just naming Maranatha as beneficiary on your retirement assets or life insurance policies. Call us at (916) 774-7700 for more information on these or other planned giving ideas!
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Create a Project!
You can serve on a mission trip with Maranatha! From construction to cooking to outreach, there are many ways to help, and no experience is necessary. Simply look through the opportunities listed below or visit our Volunteer Opportunities page at www.maranatha.org. For more information, email us at volunteer@maranatha.org or call (916) 774-7700.
If you are interested in taking a team on a mission trip, let Maranatha guide you through the process! We’ll help you set a budget, find a site and accommodations, organize your team, and provide in-country support from our staff. For groups ranging from 5-105, call for a consult and we’ll help every step of the way.
Bellingham Church Open Team WASHINGTON, USA
Kenya Open Team 2017 KISII, KENYA
For more information, call (916) 774-7700 or email leaders@maranatha.org
Camp Yavapines Open Team ARIZONA, USA
Family Project Kenya KISII, KENYA Leadership: Karen Godfrey July 12 - 26, 2017
Thanks for Serving!
Leadership: Genevive Tininenko, Leroy Kelm April 2 - 20, 2017
Leadership: Carolyn Houghton, Arthur Finch April 5, - April 13, 2017
Wenatchee Church Open Team WASHINGTON, USA Leadership: Kelly Rogers April 19, 2017 - May 4, 2017
Grand Junction Church Open Team Projects COLORADO, USA
Leadership: Dr. George Hill, Sadie Torrez, Betty Beattie, Leroy Kelm April 30, 2017 - May 14, 2017
Leadership: Susan Bushnell, Karen Godfrey June 28, 2017 - July 12, 2017
Young Adult Project 2017 GEORGETOWN, GUYANA Leadership: Angela Boothby July 19 - 30, 2017
Ultimate Workout 27 Panama DAVID, PANAMA Leadership: Loretta Spivey, Rebekah Shephard, David Lopez July 19 - 30, 2017
Mills Spring Ranch Open Team WYOMING, USA
May 28, 2017 - June 11, 2017
Leadership: David Schwinn, Betty Beattie July 24 - August 8, 2017
Maplewood Academy Open Team MINNESOTA, USA
College Place Spanish Church Open Team WASHINGTON, USA
May 14 - 28, 2017
Leadership: Betty Beattie, Mark Jones May 9 - 21, 2017
Big Lake Youth Camp Open Team 1 OREGON, USA
Leadership: Cathie Clark, Ray Betz May 28, 2017 - June 11, 2017
Rio Lindo Open Team CALIFORNIA, USA
Leadership: Kelly Rogers June 11 - 29, 2017
Family Project Guyana GEORGETOWN, GUYANA
Leadership: Leroy Kelm July 30 - August 13, 2017
Big Lake Youth Camp Open Team 2 OREGON, USA
Leadership: Cathie Clark, Kelly Rogers September 3 - 17, 2017
Seaside Church Open Team OREGON, USA
Leadership: Ed Jensen, Leroy Kelm August 27 - September 8, 2017
Leadership: Steve Case, Danny Poljak June 14 - 25, 2017
The following Group Project Teams are serving during the months of January/February/March:
BRAZIL Brazilian Chorus Team — Brazil COSTA RICA Milo Adventist Academy — Oregon Multiple Group Project DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Madison Academy — Tennessee Glendale Adventist Church — Arizona Mother Lode Adventist Jr. Academy — California
GUYANA Placerville Adventist Church/El Dorado Adventist School — California INDIA SAGE — Washington KENYA Northern California Conference — California URUGUAY Fox Valley Adventist Church — Wisconsin Detroit Maranatha — Michigan Oklahoma Conference — Oklahoma West Houston Adventist Church — Texas
USA Weimar Academy — California Pine Hills Academy — California
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Thunderbird Academy — Arizona
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THE MISSION SCENE
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YOU’RE INVITED...
About Maranatha Maranatha spreads the Gospel throughout the world as it builds people through the construction of urgently needed buildings. All notices of change of address should be sent to the Maranatha Volunteers International United States address. United States Headquarters: Maranatha Volunteers International 990 Reserve Drive Suite 100 Roseville, CA 95678
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ON THE COVER: Members of the Swan Seventh-day Adventist Church, in Guyana, stand outside their makeshift sanctuary. Photo by Kyle Fiess.
Julie Z. Lee, Editor Carrie Purkeypile, Managing Editor Heather Bergren, Designer