Garage Sale, Silent Auction to Benefit Nicaragua Mission Trip

Passes to Disney World and Sea World along with weekend getaways and birthday party packages will be up for grabs Saturday, Jan. 26 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. when Grace United Methodist Church at FishHawk, 5708 Lithia-Pinecrest Rd., Lithia, hosts a giant yard sale and silent auction.

"Businesses and members of the community have been extremely generous, donating a variety of items for our auction," said organizer Lori Collins Burgan.

The lineup of more than 50 silent auction items includes gift certificates to local restaurants and shops, a snook-fishing excursion, sports and music lessons and sports items signed by members of the Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburg Steelers and Shaquille O'Neal. A complete list of items for auction is available on the silent auction website.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the church's mission trip to Nicaragua.

For its first international mission trip, the church plans to take 17 youth and nine chaperones to Nicaragua in June and is raising funds to offset the cost of the trip as well as for donations for the Nicaraguan village the group will visit, said Burgan.

"The cost of the trip is close to $35,000, and any money we raise will help us defray these costs, ” said Burgan. “We're thrilled that 17 youth and nine adults have signed up to go on the mission trip. Most of the youth are seniors, and they've chosen to go on this mission trip instead of going on a senior trip with their friends. This says a lot about their character, and we'd like to support them in any way we can.”

Burgan, a member of Grace United Methodist Church, became acquainted with the El Ayudante Christian humanitarian organization in Leon, Nicaragua, after accompanying members of Hyde Park United Methodist Church on their mission trip to Leon last June.

On that trip, Burgan and her husband were accompanied by their 17-year-old son, Mark, and his best friend, Grayson Myer-Bruce, both Newsome High School students. 

"It was an incredible life-changing experience," said Burgan. "You hear about the poverty but you can’t really fathom it until see it. The people live in these shacks with tin walls and dirt floors, and they have nothing."

Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the world, with 80 percent of the population living on less than $2 a day, noted Burgan.

The primary ministry of El Ayudante is to 25 children and their families served by the Family Enrichment Center in Leon. The FEC partners with each child and their family to improve their quality of life and to give them opportunities to rise above poverty and succeed through spiritual nurturing, housing, proper medical care, nutrition and education.

"We had such an awesome experience there, we decided to introduce the mission to our own church," said Burgan.

On this summer's trip, the group from Grace UMC plan to spend a week building a home for a family living in poverty.

In addition, the group will visit families with special-needs children and provide educational and recreational activities for kids.

Burgan said the group has been working on collecting items for this Saturday's silent auction since August.

"It's amazing how much support we've had," she said. "Even those who aren't going on the trip commited to help us raise the funds."

For more information about the silent auction and mission trip, contact Burgan at 813-689-4687.

For information about the garage sale, contact Pete Casso at 813-777-0009.