Forty-one students from Andrews Academy spent ten days of their holiday break serving on a project in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Dec. 31, 2023, to Jan. 10, 2024, with Maranatha Volunteers International, a supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. [Photo: Lake Union Herald]
In early January, a group of 41 students from Andrews Academy in Berrien Springs, Michigan, spent ten days of their holiday break serving on a project with Maranatha Volunteers International, a supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The group laid block walls for the Agape Adventist congregation’s new church building in Santo Domingo’s south eastern region, in the Dominican Republic, Dec. 31, 2023, to Jan. 10, 2024. After years of worshiping in whatever available space they could find, the 45-member congregation is grateful and excited to finally have an official church building of their own. “The church said we were an answer to their prayer,” said Gina Pellegrini, project coordinator for the team. “They were really grateful and thankful that things worked out for them to be able to have [a church building].”
A student pauses as she holds a brick before she works on a wall of the new church building. [Photo: Lake Union Herald]
Every other year, Andrews Academy students travel somewhere in the world to serve a community in need. The school collaborated with Maranatha on past trips, until the number of students signing up began to dwindle and the COVID-19 pandemic limited travel options, explained Pellegrini. After arranging trips independently for several years, Andrews Academy gained enough student interest to team up with Maranatha once again this year. Pellegrini appreciates Maranatha’s construction projects because they give teenagers the opportunity to see the tangible results of their hard work. “There’s some satisfaction in building something from the ground up,” she said.
Adventist students take part in a Vacation Bible School program with the community during an evening session. [Photo: Lake Union Herald]
For senior Marco Sciarabba, the most impactful moment of the trip was when he heard the story of how the church started from a small group of people in the upstairs of a house. “The trip made me see the power of prayer in a real life example,” he said. “It gave me a new perspective on how important prayer really is and also proved that God is so good and that He will provide always, all we have to do is have faith.”
Group photo of the students from Andrews Academy during the Dec. 31 to Jan. 10, 2024, mission trip in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. [Photo: Lake Union Herald]
The original of this story was posted on the Lake Union Herald news site