On November 19th, the Official Gazette of the State of Maranhão, Brazil, published the approval of a law that establishes the last Saturday of July as State Day of the Caleb Mission. Law number 10,948 is already in force. The proposition notes that that date will be included in the official state calendar. This enables use of public spaces for celebration and for work. The 35,000 volunteers who acted in the 2018 campaign will have much to celebrate in 2019!
Caleb Mission is an initiative of the Adventist Church in South America where young people take three weeks of their vacation to volunteer to help those in need. “The Caleb Mission promotes the mobilization of young people and other members of society around aid, assistance, solidarity, and mercy, and serves several Maranhão municipalities. In this way, it contributes for us to have a fairer society, both for the people who participate and for those who receive,” said Flavio Dino, governor of Maranhão. Dino was present for the last Caleb Mission celebration.
For Tadeu Monteiro, leader of the project in north Maranhão, “This law is the result of an entire process that was developed over the years.” According to Monteiro, “the youth carry out relevant work within the community. The movement grew until it became known as a state-level.”