The challenges of 2020 have motivated Adventist youth in Paraguay to motivate them to start the first School of Missions, a project designed to provide encouragement to the Voluntary Service department of the Adventist Church in Paraguay and its executive secretariat. 

Start of the School of Missions

More than 30 Adventist youth from across the country took on the challenge of preparing and training themselves to be the hands of Christ and bring hope to the corners of the earth.

“I am happy that now in Paraguay we have the possibility of preparing ourselves as missionaries,” says Guadalupe Bobadilla, School of Missions participant. “One of my great dreams has always been to serve Christ wherever he sends me, and training is the first step to achieving this dream.”

Their first meeting was attended by special guests such as Pastor Joni Oliveira, leader of the Adventist Voluntary Service in South America (SVA) , Pastor Jaime Pérez, leader of SVA in Paraguay, and Martina Gómez, volunteer in Thailand. They shared experiences, testimonies, training, and information to encourage future volunteers.

"We are grateful for this opportunity and also very happy, because many young Paraguayans will be preparing to be missionaries in the world," says Pastor Pérez.

The preparation consists of twelve virtual classes that will be carried out via Zoom. These courses will be developed by different pastors, teachers, VWA volunteers, and special guests.

In addition, the SVA in Paraguay has an online platform for weekly review of the required reading of a book called Passport to Missio.

Upon completion of the course, students will receive an official Adventist Voluntary Service certification. This is a mandatory requirement to be part of the network of volunteers in the world.

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Spanish site