This week, you’ll meet the Marte family from the Dominican Republic. They didn’t live close enough to their church to walk there each Sabbath, so the family of nine had to ride in a van. It was so tight, eventually they grew tired of having to cram together all the way to church each week. So, they found an old house closer to them that they could meet in. It was better, but the building was falling apart, and they knew it wasn’t a great long-term solution. They didn’t have the money for a new church—what could they do?

Unfortunately, the Marte family’s situation is not unique. Your kids will see what some church members endure for worship each Sabbath, and they will consider how they can help bring proper places of worship to congregations in need.

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Pre-video Discussion Questions
- When someone is scared because they are in a tight space, they might feel what’s called “claustrophobia.” Have you ever felt this way? What did it feel like?

Watch the video
In today’s video, the Marte family suffers through a long, cramped drive, and a dilapidated church structure.

Post-video Discussion Questions
- How far away is your church? How long does it take you to get there?
- How would you feel to ride in a cramped van for a long time?
- Why is going to church worth the time it takes to get there?
- How do you think the condition of the Martes’ church building made the family feel?
- Around the world, there are so many situations like that of the Marte family, but did you know you can make a difference? One of the best ways you can help congregations in need is to come on a mission trip with Maranatha. You can actually help construct the walls of a church or school and meet the people who will get to use the building. It is an unbelievable feeling. Another way you can help, even from home, is to donate to Maranatha. Every dollar you give goes straight to the mission field to construct new buildings. Lastly, a very easy thing you can do anytime, is to pray. Pray for the people with bad worship conditions. And pray for Maranatha’s volunteers and workers who travel around the world to work on new churches, schools, and water wells.

Prayer Points
- Ask God what you could do to help the mission.
- Ask kids what they would add to the prayer list.

Did You Know?
- Maranatha works very closely with the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church. We answer requests from the Adventist Church to help in different parts of the world. When we commit to work in a certain country, we usually don’t just build one or two churches—we normally have a big plan to construct many churches and schools. We have provided churches, schools, and water wells in nearly 90 countries!