Administrators and leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Northern Peru and supporting institutions participate in the "Living Church" Plenary Board of Directors, an event that takes place twice a year to learn about the progress of the church in that territory and propose new projects for the fulfillment of the mission.
The meeting begins with live music, musical messages, and a reflection. During the first day of the event, the emphasis was on raising the flag of volunteerism, since, on that day, the plenary meeting focused specifically on the work of the "Missionaries to the World."
Two people, Sandra Maldonado and Felix Paringuana, were baptized in the program as a result of the missionary work of Adventist youth who decided to dedicate One Year in Mission (an Adventist project known as OYiM) to preach, serve, and share the Word of God in places without an Adventist presence.
Sandra was introduced to the Gospel as a child by her parents. However, when they divorced, the whole family drifted away from the church. At the age of 29, walking through the streets, she found a sign that said "Adventist Church"; Sandra immediately remembered her childhood and entered the church. It was there that she met the young volunteers of OYiM, who began a bond of friendship with her and offered her Bible studies. "I have decided to come back and never leave again," said Sandra.
Likewise, the volunteers met Felix when he and his father were looking for an Adventist church. His father was an Adventist in his childhood, so they approached him and invited him to participate in the worship service and study the Bible. This is how Felix began to understand the love of Christ, participate in the programs, and finally decided to give his life to Christ through baptism.
In this way, the importance of the work of volunteers who aim to save people for Christ, meet their needs, and bring hope twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, is demonstrated. The project has been impacting the districts of San Juan de Lurigancho and Jicamarca in Lima, Peru.
The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Spanish-language news site.