South American Division

Adventist College of the Amazon Students Help Residents of Mosqueiro Island

The Active Generation Project mobilizes teenagers and young people to bring material, spiritual support, and hope to communities in need in Pará.

October 14, 2024

Pará, Brazil

Thays Silva and Alinic Teles, South American Division, and ANN

The action was carried out by Faama's Active Generation with the support of the local Adventist temple

[Photo: NUCOM Faama]

Teenagers from the Adventist College of the Amazon (Faama) participated in a community service project that provided material and spiritual support to communities in need on Mosqueiro Island, located about 40 km from Belém, Brazil. The initiative is part of the Active Generation project and involves students from the Faama boarding school and church.

Despite being a tourist destination known for its natural beauty, Mosqueiro Island faces challenges, such as high crime rates and inequality. For this reason, young people from Faama have taken on several volunteer activities to benefit the community.

“The actions we are carrying out here in this community include painting houses, delivering basic food baskets, and cleaning streets. In addition, we are delivering the book The Great Controversy and spending time with the children,” said Gabriel Lacerda, director of Faama’s Active Generation.

Positive Impact for the Community

The involvement of the young people went beyond practical assistance. For student Amanda Raposo, the most significant thing is seeing the effect that these actions have on people. “It is very gratifying to be here, to see their smiles. Despite our tiredness, it is great to bring this comfort and see them happy. It is worth it,” she said.

The event was also, above all, an opportunity for the personal development of the participants, as highlighted by Herbert Cleber, the institution's director of student well-being. “Here at Faama, everything we do is intentional. We have a spiritual development plan that involves students in community service, so that they can understand the value of serving and develop as missionaries,” he highlighted. For Cleber, the teenagers served as "the hands and feet of Jesus," becoming "living sermons" by impacting the community.

For Isabela Dickson, a nurse and community volunteer, the presence of the teenagers was a true blessing. “We need young strength. This joy fills us with enthusiasm and encourages the church,” she says. Isabela is a member of the local church and said that the goal is to continue assisting the community with social and missionary actions and soon establish a new temple in the neighborhood.

Young people from the Active Generation painted and renovated houses in the community

Leadership and Mission Development

In addition to the direct impact on the community, the Active Generation project provided an opportunity for young people to take on leadership roles. Andrés Gomez, youth pastor at Faama, highlighted this aspect. “Here, for example, we have young people who were baptized two or three months ago and are already leading other young people. It is a way of developing mission and leadership in our teenagers,” he emphasizes.

This experience was also remarkable for Thafiny Duarte, a recently baptized student who is already leading the mission. “It’s been wonderful to spread the Word of God and the love of Christ. Just now, we met a child, Ítalo, and it was exciting to see how much we are helping people,” she said.

Future Missions

The mission in Mosqueiro is just one of several actions planned by the Active Generation Project. Later, a greater challenge will come. Gabriel Lacerda revealed that an international mission is scheduled for April next year, in Suriname.

Objective Achieved

The mission carried out on Mosqueiro Island was a highly impactful experience not only for the local community, but also for the teenagers at the institution. As Josué Lima, pastor of the Faama church, pointed out, the goal of these actions is, above all, to instill in the teenagers a strong sense of mission. “It is very important to instill in the hearts of each teenager a sense of love for the mission. Jesus gave us a mission so that we could fulfill it,” he stressed.