Can you imagine traveling more than 4,000 kilometers, living on a boat, and volunteering every day? It seems hard to imagine such young people giving up their vacations for a common objective: to serve. This was the case of a group of students from the Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo (UNASP), Engenheiro Coelho campus, who took part in the Amazon Lifesaving Project, promoted by the Northwest Missions Institute in partnership with the Volunteer and Mission Center.
After landing in Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas, on June 23, about 35 people embarked towards the community of Nova Jerusalém, in the interior of the state, where they stayed until July 3. The first challenge was to face the journey by boat, which would only be finished after 24 hours of navigation through the Amazon River.
Vitor Nunes, 20, an accounting student, couldn't imagine the experience he would have. "Right at the exit of UNASP, I was nervous. I created three illusions: one about the group, another about the environment, and, finally, the spiritual part. But I was wrong in all of them, since my expectations were exceeded from the moment I was surprised by this excellent experience," he shares.
According to Pastor Ronivon Santos, director of the Northwest Mission Institute, the partnership with the teaching institution has existed for seven years, and its objective is to motivate young university students to be part of the missionary world and participate in practices that aim to support riverside and indigenous communities in the most inaccessible places in the state.
Experience and Adaptation
Known for its equatorial climate, with highs of up to 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit), the temperature was one of the obstacles to be overcome in Amazonas, as it would directly affect the adaptation to the new place that would be the students' home during the period.
"During the ten days, the volunteers live on the boat, where they eat and even sleep in hammocks. The routine is usually quite busy. And the most interesting thing is that they take turns in the activities. They never do just one thing. So the person leaves the mission with a complete experience of who had the opportunity to go through all the project's workshops," explains Thalita Beatriz, a journalist from the Northwest Mission Institute.
The mission Is Done with the Feet of Those Who Go
Initially, the focus was on completing the laundry room for collective use, providing music lessons, preparing the school's vegetable garden and orchard, and implementing the existing float, putting eight more air barrels underneath to make it more resistant.
"Besides what was planned, we did activities that were not initially planned. We carried out medical and psychological care [for] the riverside [residents], both from the community and from three other neighboring ones; lectures about the professions of the volunteers in our group; the electrical installation of three warehouses; a complete inventory with all the items they have and their quantities, and the expansion of the coverage of the flour house," details Rolf Maier, who led the trip.
However, during these actions, the benefits are not only limited to the families in the community but also extended to the volunteers. "I had needed some divine answers for some time, but never received them. However, there at the mission, I was able to receive. In fact, I learned to listen," evaluates Nunes.
According to the direction, the plan for the next groups is to improve the hydro-sanitary and electrical issues, with the implementation of waste and water treatment, reuse, and installation of a photovoltaic system, as well as start the production of compost for the vegetable garden and the creation of native fruit species, such as cupuaçu and açaí.
Farewells That Will Be Underlined
"The mission always forms a new family. This is inevitable because of the close acquaintance. For most of the participants, it is a unique experience in which they learn mainly about what really matters in this life, which is to serve others and not themselves. I clearly see changes in the eyes of the volunteers when they arrive and leave the missions. Different for the better," Maier points out.
For the participants of the project, life makes no sense if it is not to serve others and comfort those who need care and to hear about the good news of salvation while there are others who never had that opportunity. According to the students, Christ provides the necessary means and resources. They, on the other hand, live their very lives for His mission.
"I didn't want to leave the community. I got attached to them, but in this project, I learned that at the end of the day, what matters is how I used my life to preach the gospel. The numbers I closed and how much money I made throughout my history don't matter if I don't find the true meaning of mission. If Jesus left heaven to serve, who am I to act differently?" reflects Nunes.