Come March 2019, a team from St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Fergus will be heading to Nicaragua for a mission trip.
However, the nature of the trip is not yet decided.
“We go every two years, we take kids from the church between the ages of 12 and upwards to college and in the past we’ve built churches,” said youth and discipleship pastor Chris Clements.
“We like building churches because they come with a community of people who are invested in what goes on and they often have kids that our own kids play with so, soccer, hockey and Frisbee and all the rest.”
The team’s first meeting is scheduled for Jan. 21 where discussion will begin about what project will be tackled.
The church travels to Nicaragua through an organization called PAN Missions Canada Inc. and the local employees in the country weigh in on where help is most needed. PAN also helps figure out the cost and materials needed to evaluate whether ideas are feasible and worth building.
“We do rely upon them,” Clements said. “We rely upon the judgement of the team and … as Christians we also rely on what we believe is the guidance of God in this.”
However, Clements said his thoughts are leading toward building a church or a feeding centre this year.
“Last time we went, hunger is an issue throughout Nicaragua and in some places it’s more acute,” he said.
“We were in one of those places where food scarcity was a considerable issue. So something that’s on the deck is building a kitchen for a church that could sustain a feeding program.”
The church has been taking teams to Nicaragua every two years since 2003, making the 2019 trip the ninth mission.
Over that time organizers estimate the church and greater community have raised between $15,000 and $30,000 for each trip, totaling over $200,000 for the community.
That money goes towards the build in Nicaragua, one third of the cost for each team member, and contributions to a benevolent fund that meets other needs.
“So that fund has purchased beds and roofs and shoes and food and a coffin once, actually, and train tickets and many other things,” Clements said.
In addition to mission trips in Nicaragua, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church is also one of many supporters of HEARTS (Haitians Educated and Ready to Serve) for Haiti and has been for 26 years.
The organization was started by a member of the St. Andrew’s congregation who went to Haiti. At first it was a feeding program at orphanages connected to a Haitian church community.
“They developed schools there and most of it now has developed into supporting the school program,” said missions committee chair Nancy Kroetsch. “There’s four schools that they support and they support them with teacher salaries, materials and food there.”
The early budget for the Haiti mission from St. Andrew’s is between $50,000 and $60,000, which helps to support the 1,000 students who attend the schools every year.
Each year the church holds numerous fundraisers for both the Nicaraguan missions and HEARTS for Haiti.
Clements said a lot of the fundraising involves meals.
“Generally they’re by donation and that way people can be as generous as they feel they would like to be, which is often quite, which we’re very appreciative for,” he said.
The first fundraiser this year is a pancake and sausage supper on Feb. 13 from 5 to 6:30pm.
Each year the church faces the challenge of fluctuating exchange rates and Kroetsch said more and more money is needed just to reach its monetary commitments to the programs.
While the trips are meant to help Nicaraguans, mission trip participant Erica Dyce said it also benefits local youths who participate.
“You can tell somebody that there are poor people in the world until you’re blue in the face, but until you see them you don’t feel it,” she said. “You don’t get that same sense of urgency …
“Until you see them and you meet them and you know that they didn’t get a meal that day, you don’t really feel it.”
Dyce also said the trip teaches children what it means to serve.
“Not just when we’re there, but by doing all the fundraisers they learn to serve other people and to put their needs aside for a day,” she said.
“So they may want to say ‘I just want to stay home and play Minecraft all day, but no I have a commitment, I have a four-hour commitment that I’m volunteering for and I’m not getting paid for that.’ And I think that’s missing in our society.”
To find out more about St. Andrew’s mission trips and fundraisers visit www.standrewsfergus.org.
