Language and healthy cooking courses, park revitalization, lectures, health fairs, and book deliveries—these were some of the activities developed by Uellcleber Barbosa and his team of volunteers in recent months in a community in Salvador, Bahia. In this place, he and 19 other young people work with One Year in Mission, a volunteer project of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
"I already used to work in my church serving in several departments, but the experience in One Year in Mission has been incredible as well. I have experienced a new reality, living with different people on a daily basis and serving others that perhaps I would never have contact with if I had only been inside the church. This has enriched my perspective on being a missionary," says Uellcleber, who was born in Canavieiras, Bahia.
Uellcleber's desire to serve the community is shared by 56% of Brazilians who responded to the Institute for the Development of Social Investment (IDIS) survey, saying they perform or have performed volunteer activities throughout their lives.
As an example, about 120 Adventist Bahians have made themselves available to travel for voluntary service outside Brazil next year, through another project of the church. Uellcleber is one of them. "I have decided to dedicate another year of my life to be a volunteer missionary, and I also put my profession as a psychologist at my disposal in this process. I want to be a soul who serves people as Christ did," he says.
I Will Go
To present this and other opportunities for volunteering and mission in various countries around the world, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, through Adventist Volunteer Service, will host the event “I Will Go”, which takes place on October 19–22. The meeting will take place on the campus of the Adventist College of Bahia (FADBA), in Capoeiruçu, in the Recôncavo Baiano region. It will receive about 5,000 people from 50 countries.
According to the event coordinator, Pastor Francesco Marquina, the objective of “I Will Go” is to strengthen, train, and provide a volunteer experience through information exchange, presentation of new projects, and possibilities for volunteer and missionary work in various parts of the world. "We want to empower and encourage participants to use their talents in missionary work at all levels: local, national, and international. We will train these young people to be the ones who take the last message of salvation to the whole world," he emphasizes.
The program will have the participation of professionals from various fields and international speakers who will present volunteer experiences in the United States, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Uellcleber will be at the event. "My heart is racing! Knowing that I will meet missionaries from other parts of the world and reconnect with friends makes me excited. I believe that I will leave there even more motivated," he highlights.
The event will be broadcast live on the Adventists Brazil YouTube channel.
Social Action and Cultural Immersion
During the event, buses will be available to transport participants interested in donating blood to the banks in the Bahia cities of Feira de Santana and Santo Antônio de Jesus.
Furthermore, participants will also be able to learn about and sign up for several volunteer projects, NGOs (non-government organizations), and mission agencies that operate in different parts of the world. The programs will be presented during the "Mission Fair," which will provide opportunities for the immersion and knowledge of new cultures.
The original version of this article was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language website.