Adventist volunteers of the One Year In Mission (OYIM) project, an initiative of the Adventist Church, recently organized mission work in Southern Chile. OYIM's core objective is to engage in evangelistic activities through community service, with a focus on addressing the community's needs by leveraging the talents, resources, and professional expertise of Adventist youth.

This group of young Adventists sought to present the gospel to the inhabitants of Valdivia, which has a population of 259,243. They did this through service at the Infusion Hope Adventist restaurant, which functions as a center of influence in the city.

The OYiM youth received an induction from José Ramírez, evangelist of the South Austral Conference. During this stage, they learned about the operation of the Infusion Hope restaurant and vegan point, participating in workshops and learning about the purpose of this place: to provide Bible studies and introduce Christ to the community.

“It is always a blessing to meet people who are willing to serve and put aside their own activities and life projects to dedicate an exclusive and special time to serve as missionaries in a place where the church needs help,” says the evangelist.

OYiM volunteers did administrative work and organized and cleaned the site during their first week at Infusion Hope. They also conducted surveys in the Isla Teja community to find out people's opinions and interests regarding the workshops that will be offered.

“We have been here for a week, and so far, we have been looking at administrative things, setting up, cleaning, and organizing … We have been handing out surveys to the Isla Teja community to find out their opinions on the workshops that will be held and to find out their interests; it feels good, and a good team has been formed,” describes Constanza Molina, one of the OYiM volunteers at Infusion Hope.

There are no age limits for these types of projects, so the call is open to anyone who desires to work for the Lord at some point in their life.

Infusion Hope currently has two locations, one in Temuco and one in Valdivia, and defines itself as a non-profit vegetarian restaurant of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Its main objective is to inspire and teach others to lead a healthier lifestyle, emphasizing that food is vital to maintaining a connection with God.

Infusion Hope is expected to begin its work alongside OYiM this July and become a blessing to the community in both health and spiritual aspects this 2024.

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