Service opportunities inspire Avondale students, many of whom are strongly motivated by the vision of a needy world and the desire to make a difference.
Kids' club in the Philippines. Photo credit: Colin Chuang.
Kids' club in the Philippines. Photo credit: Colin Chuang.
Philippines
Last summer the Avondale student organisation One Mission sent twenty-three volunteers to the Philippines. They ran a kids’ club with 200-300 children and an evangelistic program each evening attended by 300-400 adults and up to 150 children. They also built a children’s playground at a local Adventist school, commenced work on a multi-purpose covered outdoor learning area for the school, ran feeding programs for school children in six surrounding villages, renovated a public high school library, and ran a children’s Christmas program at an orphanage. The students raised over $30,000 for these projects in addition to their airfares. The evangelistic series, with three students sharing the preaching, climaxed with a baptism of thirty people. The students’ work made a significant impact. A tearful grandmother said, ‘You gave our community hope; where would our children be if you hadn’t come?’
Jasmine Lynch with children in the Philippines. Photo credit: Colin Chuang.
Jasmine Lynch with children in the Philippines. Photo credit: Colin Chuang.
Solomon Islands
Fifteen One Mission volunteers spent three weeks in the Solomons constructing a nurses’ residence for a health clinic in a remote village on Guadalcanal. The clinic was completed eight years ago, but was not yet operational because there was no residence for nursing staff. An Avondale One Mission team commenced the residence last year, and this year’s team completed the roof, exterior walls, flooring and interior walls. The group is now fundraising for the $25,000 still needed to provide electrical and plumbing work, interior fixtures and fittings, and solar power. (Contact the chaplain on the Lake Macquarie campus for details). When operational, the clinic will greatly benefit the local people, who now have to walk for hours to reach the nearest hospital.
Solomons project: start of work in 2011.
In the evenings the group conducted an evangelistic program attended by up to 250 people, and group members shared their experience of Christ on a one-to-one basis. A team member with paramedic experience provided education in health and hygiene as well as treatments within the scope of his expertise. The group grew spiritually as they prayed about the challenges of their project and talked together about spiritual things.
Zimbabwe
In July 2010 six Avondale students conducted evangelistic programs in separate locations in and around Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe. The result was a total of 261 baptisms. Joseph Mapuor, studying International Development Studies at Avondale, initiated the trip, managing the financial and other arrangements. Most of the six students had never run an evangelistic campaign before. Second-year theology student Adam Tonkin said, ‘I was blown away by the response.
Joseph Mapuor (R) preaching in Zimbabwe.
I felt the Lord had given me this experience so that I could see him work. I learned more reliance on God and less on self.’ Bekezela Sibanda was overjoyed to bring people to Christ in the country of his birth. Joseph Mapuor said, ‘It was inspiring to see people committing their lives to Jesus.’ Gideon Kang described it as ‘a life-changing experience. I will accept every invitation to participate in evangelism from now on,’ he said. Laufili Ah You said, ‘I saw the Holy Spirit move far beyond my previous imagining. I came, I saw, I’m on fire!’
Indonesia
Seven students spent part of their summer vacation teaching English in Indonesian high schools. They also had opportunity to discuss with religious leaders in the schools some of the common ground between Muslim and Adventist lifestyle and beliefs, and to dialogue with school students about spirituality. They were well received in the community.
StormCo ministry
In July 2010 about fifty students conducted StormCo projects (Service to Others Really Matters) in three remote towns in the north-west of New South Wales: Moree, Gwabegar and Goodooga. The groups ran a children’s program each morning and community projects for the towns in the afternoons. The Moree group, for example, ran with the theme ‘Jesus is our lifesaver.’ The three towns have a significant indigenous population that especially appreciated the work done for their children.
Caption: Kids’ club in the Philippines. Photo credit: Colin Chuang
Caption: Jasmine Lynch with Philippine children. Photo credit: Colin Chuang
Caption: Solomons project: start of work in 2011.
Caption: Joseph Mapuor (R) preaching in Zimbabwe
