Students and employees of the Adventist University Center of São Paulo (UNASP), sent by the Volunteer and Mission Center, participated in a special project in Jordan, which aimed to support community initiatives already launched in the city of Madaba. The actions began on June 27 and lasted until July 11, with the main objective of expanding the local center of influence.
At the volunteer-supported headquarters, the work is carried out by a couple of indigenous pastors, who also organize the activities of the center of influence, aimed at supporting children and adolescents. Actions include guitar and English lessons, tutoring, as well as the Pathfinders and Adventurers clubs.
During the development of the project, the group worked with more than 50 children and partnered with a couple of Brazilian volunteers who have been in the country for six years. The team carried out actions such as a health fair for children, where natural remedies were explored in a fun way, because these teachings are not part of the daily reality of these young people.
In addition, the Holiday Bible School was promoted, through which the volunteers taught the children Bible stories which are also present in the Quran (the holy book of Islam), sang Christian songs with them and taught them to pray.
According to Pastor Caio Conceição, responsible for the project and the Center for Volunteering and Mission, during this period many children had their first contact with the person of Jesus, based on the Bible, and not on traditions or traditions. family views. “The opportunity that parents and grandparents did not have to know the Jesus of the Bible, these children had, through stories, songs, but, above all, through our relationship”, he details.
The group also donated three electric guitars for use in lessons and painted the walls of the center of influence and the markings on the sports field. Nonetheless, Conceição highlighted how the relational nature of the project left a positive impression on the community.
“We went with the purpose of being Jesus for these children, so that through our face, our gestures, our hands and our love, they could know the Jesus that we know,” explains the pastor.
Team of volunteers involved in the project. (Picture: Publicity)
Voluntary Action and Adventist Identity
Marcia Bispo, head of women’s chaplaincy at UNASP, Engenheiro Coelho campus, who also participated in the Jordanian project, explains that these voluntary activities and Adventist identity are closely linked because the Adventist Church, more than a denomination, is a prophetic move. who preaches the return of Jesus.
She also stresses the importance of encouraging young people to participate in initiatives like this one. According to the chaplain, this kind of activity “allows them to have a very clear vision of the great controversy, and it helps them to develop a greater communion with God, a greater ability to live in community, as well as a sense of purpose and belonging”.
“Getting out of my bubble and my context is really cool because I can grow in my experience with God and see that he is not just here in Brazil, but everywhere. Everyone should volunteer to have an experience with God, to get out of the comfort zone and grow as a person and as a Christian,” points out Gabriella Bortolini, a psychology student.
Volunteers at an activity with the local community (Photo: Publicity)
Work in progress
The project in Jordan started in 2022 but is expected to last until July 2025. The big goal of these four years of partnership is to expand the center of influence so that it is possible to serve more people, as well as to collect donations to do this. possible planning, because the country’s currency is very expensive compared to the Brazilian real.
Pastor Gonçalves explains that patience and adaptability are fundamental principles for the volunteer. Jordan offers limits to the advancement of the gospel due to religious conflicts across the country. In addition, it is virtually impossible to keep records of actions. Therefore, he says it is a locality where God is working in silence.
“But the Spirit of the Lord has worked mightily in the hearts of children, young people and adults, and we must be part of this movement. That is why UNASP has adopted this project, so that we can be an instrument hands for his work to grow in such a difficult place,” Gonçalves concludes.
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