February 1 - Renato’s Unexpected Mission

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.