Community Service and Outreach
"We have an army of youth today who can do much if they are properly directed and encouraged. We want our children to believe the truth. We want them to be blessed of God. we want them to act as part in well-organized plans for helping other youth. Let all be so trained that they may rightly represent the truth, giving the reason of the hope that is within them, and honoring God in any branch of the work where they are qualified to labor." - EGW
Community service and outreach are activities that we value at Eben-Ezer. We build them into our weekly schedule, along with periodic mission trips to communities further away. Students and staff are encouraged and given many opportunities to participate voluntarily. We are often encouraged by the number of kids who want to be a part of this important work!
Mission Trips
In 2022, various staff and students were able to serve as missionaries to 3 communities. There were two trips to a community called Upper Torewa, 1 trip to Lower Torewa, and a trip to Tigre. The two Torewas are located several hours by boat up the river from Rurrenabaque, a city about 3 hours from our campus by truck. They are in the Madidi National Forest and visitors are required to be invited before going into their territory. We were able to help with some construction, do VBS for their kids, provide some medical services and more. In Tigre, we helped with community outreach, construction, and some community service.
Community Service
Each week, we have the privilege of serving in our little community of Ixiamas and periodically we will serve in a neighboring community as well. Community service projects are a blessing because often they give us an opportunity to work alongside folks in the community, allowing us the chance to connect and get to know them. In 2022, we did lots of different projects from cleaning up at the hospital or local church to helping individuals with projects at their homes to cleaning the town plaza and lots more.
Visiting and Community Outreach
We LOVE to visit people here in Ixiamas and other local communities. In 2022 we were able to travel and visit lots of families in the communities of Baja Undumo, Tigre, San Jose, Tumupasa, Tacana and Macawa. During these visits we spend time connecting with the families through prayer, singing and often through doing a small program for their children. We also give out Bibles and Children’s Bible Story books.
Sabbath (Saturday) is always a special day. We have church and Sabbath School together each week and then, after lunch, students and staff spend time together visiting families in Ixiamas. Some groups go door to door and pray or sing to people, others give Bible studies or provide children’s programs. In 2022, each week we visited 15-20 families in their homes, and we held 6 different kid’s programs.
Additionally in 2022 we:
Sabbath (Saturday) is always a special day. We have church and Sabbath School together each week and then, after lunch, students and staff spend time together visiting families in Ixiamas. Some groups go door to door and pray or sing to people, others give Bible studies or provide children’s programs. In 2022, each week we visited 15-20 families in their homes, and we held 6 different kid’s programs.
Additionally in 2022 we:
- Handed out 150 Bibles, 400 kids Bible story books and 700 devotional books! Praise the Lord for His provision of each of these precious resources!
- Conducted a health fair in Ixiamas.
- Baked and handed out bread (we baked and handed out over 2,000 pieces!) to families at a community festival in Ixiamas.
- Helped to make some much needed improvements to an orphanage a few hours away.
