Maranatha volunteers from SAGE (Seniors in Action for God with Excellence), a ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for ages 50 and above in the U.S. state of Washington, recently served in Kenya, constructing a new dean’s house at the a This is the third time SAGE has worked at the Kajiado school, which serves Maasai girls escaping child marriage. 

“What takes us back there is the sincerity of the program for those girls,” said Bob Grady, longtime SAGE project leader. “You know, kids leaving home at that age would be depressing. To see [what happens at Kajiado] is so encouraging and thrilling for those of us who come back.”

On this trip, the 24 volunteers not only laid block walls but also served the community in other ways. A team facilitated a medical clinic for nearly 900 patients. Other volunteers put on children’s ministry programs in several area villages. The group also held an evangelistic campaign, with nearly 700 total attendees. During the day, volunteers visited villages, inviting residents to the nightly programs. Around 300 people came each night, resulting in 84 baptisms. Volunteers raised close to US$6,000 for this campaign.

At the end of their project, volunteers participated in a special dedication ceremony for the new dean’s house on which they worked. A separate celebration was held for Grady, only a couple months shy of his 90th birthday, in recognition of his final mission trip as a project leader. Over the course of 26 years, Grady led nearly 20 projects with Maranatha. “My heart is sad, it really is,” admitted Grady, who was a career missionary for the Adventist Church. “I have so much in me yet, and I just love it so much. Right now, I’ve got to hang it up. God will provide something else for me to do.”

Maranatha has been working in Kenya since 2016, building One-Day Churches and schools and drilling water wells. More than 650 structures have been completed so far.

The original verision of this article was published on the Maranatha Volunteers International website.