This spring, 29 students and parents from Conejo Adventist Elementary School (CAES) embarked on a class trip to the Dominican Republic. Instead of sightseeing and leisure, the group did manual labor in collaboration with Maranatha Volunteers International, a supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Their primary goal was the construction of a church building for the Paz en la Tormenta Adventist congregation.
“The kids and the parents worked really hard, and we finished our portion of the project in four days,” said project coordinator and CAES principal Jennifer Lew.
Students excelled on the construction site, despite being younger than the average Maranatha volunteer. They took on physically challenging tasks, like hauling cinderblock and laying mortar, all under the mentorship of Maranatha’s local construction crew.
“Working on the jobsite was great, and that was hard work, and the kids really appreciated the evening when they could sit down and kind of rest for a little bit,” recalled Lew. “It was hot, and it was, you know, different work than they’re used to doing.”
This trip was CAES’s first biennial international service trip for seventh- and eighth-graders—a replacement of their previous vacation-style class trip. Lew was inspired to start this initiative by the example of other schools. “I kind of wanted something different for the kids, instead of a trip for themselves,” she said.
In addition to fostering a culture of selflessness, this project inspired CAES students with the knowledge that they can make a tangible difference in the world.
“They want to go on another mission trip,” said Lew. “They’re already looking forward to the things they can do in academy and high school.”
Maranatha Volunteers International mobilizes volunteers to build churches, schools, water wells, and other urgently needed structures around the world. Since 1969, Maranatha has constructed more than 14,000 structures and more than 3,000 water wells in nearly 90 countries.
