Sidney Needles – “We’re so appreciative for what they’re doing,” said Eden Valley Institute of Wellness* administrative secretary Kara Miller, one of the 28 volunteers who worked there this June. The volunteer team was organized by Maranatha Volunteers International,* a supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that specializes in construction projects. In just two weeks, this group framed a 2,800 square foot duplex of staff housing for the ministry based in Loveland, Colorado.
“People have come from all over the country, and many of them have never worked [construction] before,” said Miller. “And they can just come together as a team with a shared goal. It’s just awesome, and they’re fast!”
The volunteers’ gift—two weeks of their time and energy—will keep on giving at Eden Valley far into the future. “It enables us to have the staffing to support the lifestyle center and to be able to have guests,” explained Miller. “Because our lifestyle center has grown, more and more people are coming.”
Eden Valley Institute is a self-supporting ministry of the Adventist Church that relies on donations to achieve its mission to see lives transformed by God’s principles of education and healing. “We’re able to fund our operations. But capital improvements? We just don’t have that kind of money,” explained Miller. This is why free labor through Maranatha is such a game-changer. Miller elaborated, “We don’t have the manpower to do it ourselves.”
Maranatha Volunteers International mobilizes volunteers to build churches, schools, water wells, and other urgently needed structures around the world, including North America. Since 1969, Maranatha has constructed more than 16,000 structures and more than 3,500 water wells in nearly 90 countries.
* Please note that Eden Valley Institute and Maranatha Volunteers International are supporting ministries of the Seventh-day Adventist Church but are not affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
—Sidney Needles is a Communications Specialist for Maranatha Volunteers International. Photos by Nancy Davis except group photo taken by an Eden Valley staff member.
