For the past 14 years, Fayette Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville has sent at least one mission team — sometimes two — to Nicaragua to work with the non-profit El Ayudante (The Helper). This year’s team left for a week-long stay on Saturday, May 28, to work in Leon, north of Managua.
Team members say they believe strongly that “the value of short-term mission is long-term commitment.”
During the past 14 years, Fayette has developed partnerships with multiple community organizations in the town of Leon and the surrounding countryside. These partnerships vary greatly, from the local prison and its abysmal conditions, to a lovely Catholic nursing home with its welcoming residents.
Several ministries have become focal points of the work done by Fayette teams. Undergirding all these ministries is the desire to form relationships with the Nicaraguan people. To that end, monies raised by the church have funded expansion of a medical clinic, and the creation of a trade school for youth whose lives were shaped by working at the local landfill.
Foremost in this relationship-building is the ongoing distribution of clay pot water filters, to help with the myriad health problems of unclean drinking water. Team members trek through the Nicaraguan countryside, carrying these water filters to the homes of Nicaraguan families who have been determined to be at the greatest health risk. These personal visits are the highlight of each team’s trip.
This year’s traveling team consisted of nine members, ranging in age from 15 to 77 years old. The majority of the team is the entire Fayette Presbyterian congregation, which supports the travelers with 24/7 prayer, and donations throughout the year to fund the work.
Team member Glenda Hasty said “An international mission trip offers us a wonderfully wide perspective on ministry and helps us see a broader view of the world and the church’s place in it. In my years of participation with Fayette Presbyterian Church in Nicaragua, I have received far more than I have ever given.”
Fayette Presbyterian Church’s Nicaraguan mission team member Scott Klett explains to a Nicaraguan resident how the clay pot water filter turns the village’s dirty, unsanitary water into fresh, drinkable water. Above (L-R), Nicaraguan interpreter, FPC team member Tony Jones, FPC team member Charie Reid, FPC team member Scott Klett, and Nicaraguan resident. Photo/Special.
