The Adventist Institute of Technology (IATec) challenged its employees to participate in the first IATec Mission Trip. About 40 employees accepted the task of rebuilding part of the Adventist church in Farrapos, in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The structure suffered serious problems after remaining submerged for 30 days as a result of the flood that devastated the state in May 2024.

After two months, the site was rebuilt and given a new look thanks to the work of the employees. A bus full of volunteers left the technology center in Hortolândia, in the interior of São Paulo, on July 20.

Josué Leão, IATec education manager, conceived the mission and closely monitored the team’s work. He says that the institution had the support of the Adventist Church headquarters for the central region of Rio Grande do Sul. “They put together the project and advised us on which materials and paint colors we should buy to maintain the church’s visual identity,” he says.

To participate, each employee contributed approximately 15% of the total cost of the missionary trip. The rest was provided by IATec. “We paid for the construction materials, hiring a foreman, as well as transportation, food, medicine, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the employees,” said Leão.

Claudinei Corrêa was the bricklayer responsible for overseeing the work. His job was to guide the volunteers in the renovation of the church. “When I saw the amount of work that needed to be redone, I thought it would be impossible to complete it in just a few days. But everyone’s willpower and faith made everything work out. I had no doubt that a greater force was with us,” emphasizes the professional.

12-Hour Journey

The Marechal Rondon Adventist College (Camar) classrooms in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul served as housing for the group. They would wake up very early to worship, have breakfast and set off for their day of work at the church in Farrapos.

The IATec team had to plaster and waterproof a large part of the walls, remove the floor, install the subfloor and install ceramic tiles in three rooms, replace the wooden skirting boards with ceramic tiles, paint all the interior rooms and the window and facade grilles. IATec senior systems developer Fernando Santos says that his initial task was to replace the skirting boards on the walls, but since he has knowledge of civil construction, he helped with other tasks. “I also helped with the plastering and finishing of the walls, removal of the wooden floors, installation of ceramic tiles, and painting varnish on the doors and gates,” he says.

He is used to working in an office and admits that changing environments was challenging, but it was worth it when he saw the gratitude of the members. “Seeing Martina, a church member, with tears in her eyes, watching our work, was gratifying. I was moved with her when I saw her gesture of gratitude, without having to say anything,” says Santos.

There was little time for what needed to be done. Therefore, to speed up the drying of the walls, which needed at least three days, 120 liters of alcohol were used to make fire and continue the work more quickly. One of the volunteers says he was impressed when he saw how quickly a wall dried. “It was a miracle,” says Elvis Reis, systems developer.

It wasn’t just the church members who were impacted by the volunteers’ dedication; the neighborhood was impacted as well. Leão says that a resident who lives across the street from the church was moved by the team’s work and decided to sweeten the group’s afternoon a little by giving them two boxes of chocolates as a gift. According to Eliézer Santos, IATec’s financial director, “The work impacted the church that received help, but perhaps we at IATec were the ones who benefited the most from the sense of unity, commitment, and altruism that our employees brought back to work.”

On July 28th, the church was ready and ready to welcome members and friends. The worship service was the responsibility of IATec. Claudinei Corrêa is adamant in stating that working with the volunteers was the best experience he has ever had. “It is unbelievable that we completed the renovation and celebrated this victory together on Saturday. I cried a lot during the service when I saw Fernando and his daughter singing together. I remembered my daughter, who is almost the same age,” he says.

Antonio Hilário da Silva, better known as Toninho, has been a member of the church for 15 years and his house was hit by the floods. He reveals what impressed him most about the renovation. “The church is very beautiful. I really liked the new skirting board. It used to be made of wood and now it’s made of ceramic. The ceiling is now waterproof and the front railings are like new and well painted,” he explains.

IATec’s proposal is to carry out other missions at least once a year. “It is essential that employees experience this in practice. In this way, we understand that they assimilate that the work, although technical and behind the scenes, has a missionary and evangelistic reason at its core,” concludes Santos.

The original article was published on the South American Division Portuguese website.