When Renato was called
to be an Adventist volunteer,
he imagined serving
in remote, exotic
locations, such as those he heard
about in mission stories as a kid.
He was surprised when God
sent him to a city instead.
Thailand is far from his home
country of Brazil,
and Renato quickly learned
about the
mission needs in big cities
such as Bangkok.
In the very beginning I got
a little bit disappointed because.
That was not the idea I had
of working the 1040 window.
I thought I would be teaching
in a bamboo school,
in the forest, in the jungles,
but
I realized that challenges
are everywhere
and they are so intense it
is hard to serve
as a missionary anywhere.
Working in cities such as Bangkok
can be difficult.
People are often busy, isolated
and seemingly in need of nothing.
Their lives are good
the way it is.
They're healthy,
they have beautiful families.
There are many wealthy people
here in Thailand.
Why do they need Jesus?
That's the question.
Why do I need something else
if I have everything
a successful human being can have?
And we know that a life
without Jesus is a meaningless life.
Despite the challenges,
Renato has made it his mission
to foster positive connections
with the people around him.
The volunteer is not just about suffering
and dealing with challenges
and difficulties.
Somehow, even if we don't deserve.
God promotes hundreds of opportunities
for us to enjoy life and be happy.
Renato's primary role as a volunteer
is teaching grade for English
at Ekamai International
School.
Teaching has allowed him to bond
with his students
and learn about their lives.
95% of the kids in my school
are non Christian so worshipping
in the morning for us
is
really important.
From 7:00 to 7:20 AM
we have the worship session
and that's my favorite moment
of the
day.
After class, Renato is involved
with other ministries.
Such as visiting people in prison
and gathering resources
to support refugees.
Renato's experiences
as an Adventist volunteer service,
or AVS worker have impacted him
in a way that will remain with him
for the rest of his.
Life.
I'm pretty sure that nobody
that goes to any country
to serve as an AVS will come back
home the same way
they got into this.
It's a life changing opportunity
and by the grace of God.
The work here in the missionary field
has changed my life
in a very good way.
As we refocus our attention
to mission in the cities,
please pray for workers such as
Renato who share the light of Jesus
with those around them.
If you would like to learn more
about service opportunities,
visit vividfaith.com.
Thank you for supporting the mission
of the 7th Day Adventist Church.