A group of 17 volunteer missionaries from the Seventh-day Adventist College of Petrópolis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, participated in the institution’s first transcultural mission initiative, serving for nine days at Hogar de Niños L’Esperance in Vila Tunari, Bolivia. The trip was organized by the school’s Missions Center and is part of the college’s emphasis on missionary training for students.

The team included 13 students ages 13 to 18, as well as three staff members—a pedagogical coordinator, a music teacher, and the school chaplain—and a volunteer trained through the Send Me mission school.

Service at Hogar de Niños L’Esperance

During the mission, volunteers supported daily operations at the orphanage through agricultural, production, and construction work. In the garden area, the group helped maintain the vegetable garden and dug holes in rocky soil to plant banana trees. They also harvested fruit used to help feed the children.

The volunteers also assisted in the orphanage’s bakery, which produces bread, pizzas, and other items sold to raise funds for the home’s operations and daily meals.

In addition, the team contributed to construction work on a new building intended to host future mission groups. Tasks included cleaning the area, painting, and preparing roof gutters for the missionary house.

Hogar de Niños L’Esperance provides free care to children referred by Bolivia’s Public Defender’s Office who are orphaned or living in vulnerable and high-risk situations. The home is supported by L’Esperance, a group formed by Seventh-day Adventists from Germany. The project is managed by an Adventist Church member, and the foster parents who provide direct care are volunteer Adventists, including Brazilians and Argentinians who relocate to serve full time.

Missionary training focus

Leaders said the experience aligns with the Adventist College of Petrópolis’ broader educational and spiritual focus on developing students with a mission mindset. The institution also runs other missionary initiatives, including Teen Mission School and Send Me, supporting both local and cross-cultural service opportunities.

Ericka Almeida, coordinator of the Adventist Volunteer Service (AVS) for Rio de Janeiro’s central region, said the mission had a strong impact on participants. She noted that students were especially moved by their interaction with the children and the foster parents, who dedicate their lives to caring for children in the home.

Student Daniel Santiago said the experience was his first mission trip and described it as personally meaningful, particularly learning about the children’s stories and seeing their joy in daily life.

The mission was supported by AVS of the Rio de Janeiro Conference, the Seventh-day Adventist Church administrative headquarters for the central region of the state.

Rafael Stehling, regional project leader, said AVS helps strengthen mission through volunteering by connecting people willing to serve with needs in the mission field, including evangelism, social action, support for local projects, and missionary events.

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