Our country director for Peru and Paraguay returns as the show’s first repeat guest after an abbreviated first appearance in Episode 5. Elmer shares how the work in the Amazon jungle region of Peru progressed since then, and talks about his new responsibility in also overseeing Maranatha’s work in Paraguay, including the anticipation of leading Maranatha’s teens-only mission trip, Ultimate Workout, in summer 2025.

Having established Maranatha’s efforts from scratch in four separate countries, Elmer explains how the organization first enters a country to start the work. He recalls his first years of service as a 20-year-old in Mozambique, including the construction of 1,000 churches, and the lifelong relationships he formed. He opens up about his journey in missions with his family, from spending time away from his new bride as a newlywed for two months in Angola, to his kids living in several countries already in their childhood. He concludes by sharing how Maranatha has impacted his life and what he’s learned about God through his 18 years of service with Maranatha.

TV episode on the work in Iquitos, Peru: https://watch.maranatha.org/videos/the-gospel-in-the-jungle
TV episode on the work in Paraguay: https://watch.maranatha.org/videos/mms11e43-1

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Visit maranatha.org for more info on the work of Maranatha Volunteers International.

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As Youth and Pathfinder Director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Northern California, Eddie has decades of experience taking youth on mission trips around the world. He recounts his first experiences with Maranatha, talks about the importance of doing a pre-trip site visit, and explains how he broke his neck in Costa Rica. He shares how he has grown as a leader, his goal for youth on these projects, and how he’s seen prayer literally influence events on his mission trips. Eddie shares his response when people question why the conference should do mission trips at all, and explains how a short-term mission trip can impact a community well beyond the project.

TV episode on the Kimogoro Adventist School (segment starts at 13:51): https://watch.maranatha.org/videos/mms11e30

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Visit maranatha.org for more info on the work of Maranatha Volunteers International.

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As Adventist Review’s senior news correspondent, Marcos has traveled the world covering stories for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and has the unique experience of coming to the mission of Maranatha via journalism. Early in his time at Adventist Review, he was asked to cover the dedication of a Maranatha-built sanctuary in Cuba. He went, and was impressed with the dedication of Maranatha volunteers, donors, and staff. Since then, he’s been on more assignments involving Maranatha, and talks about the excitement of gathering unexpected stories in the mission field, and how God brings specific people into his path to help tell each story.

Marcos reflects on his time at the Kajiado Adventist School and Rescue Center in Kenya, a long-term project for Maranatha from 2018-2024. He shares how he and his family were moved by their experience serving the Maasai girls there who had escaped child marriage and female genital mutilation. As a journalist, he talks about how hard it is to not let these stories impact you personally, and how his exposure to Maranatha has expanded his view of missions.

Marcos’ first experience with Maranatha at the dedication of the Cardenas Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cuba led to several articles for Adventist Review, two of which you can read below:
https://adventistreview.org/news/after-decades-of-prayer-adventists-dedicate-largest-church-ever-in-cuba/
https://adventistreview.org/news/we-want-jesus-to-come/

Watch the final TV episode featuring the Kajiado Adventist School and Rescue Center in Kenya, which includes the dedication of this campus Maranatha spent six years transforming: https://watch.maranatha.org/videos/mms11e50-1

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Visit maranatha.org for more info on the work of Maranatha Volunteers International.

Text us! Let us know what you thought of this episode and the show in general!