Serving in communities

While work continues on the vessel in the dry dock, teams have been sent out to support churches and other groups in their ongoing ministries and activities in the region. One team in Las Palmas, working with a church called ‘Oportunidades de Vida’ (Opportunities of Life), has been busy with food distribution programmes for refugees and others in the community.

A team member reports: “The church is helping people in the community who are going through so many life situations: those who are not working and elderly people, as well as those with drug addictions. Scripture encourages us to pay attention to people who can't find food and the church is fulfilling what Jesus left us with as work.” On one day alone, the team were involved in distributing food to more than 100 families.

Another team in Las Palmas is working with a church on a café project called Café Cambio. The café is near the Tefira University campus and opens twice a week, offering coffee and snacks. The team writes: “Café Cambio is a place where you can interact with others and enjoy different activities like board games, live music or table tennis. You can also find a place to read or study with your friends.” As well as looking after the facility and interacting with those coming to visit, the team is offering language lessons to the students or others wanting to learn, with each team member teaching in their mother tongue.

The team in Vecindario, a town to the south of Las Palmas, has been working with a local church, going out into the public parks and interacting with families and others they meet. They report: “We played music, sang action songs, acted out a drama and explained what we can learn from it, and distributed pamphlets along with our local brothers and sisters. It was good to partner with them and inspire them to be creative.”